Via AFP: " Traditionally known as a centre of banking and finance, Hong Kong is fast emerging as a centre of the Asian art world. And with stock markets in turmoil, investors are increasingly looking at art." more ›

Via AP: "A work featuring one ton of handmade porcelain sunflower seeds by Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei will be a highlight at a contemporary art sale at Sotheby's Wednesday night in New York. The sackful is estimated to bring $600,000 to $800,000." more ›

Things are looking rather festive up north in the DPRK, despite the ongoing furore over a rocket launch that the United States and allies say is a ballistic missile test in violation of a United Nations ban. The Spring Friendship Art Festival opened yesterday in Pyongyang to to celebrate the centennial of the birth of Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea. The Choson Sinbo, a DPRK-owned paper published in Japan, said the festival, which runs till April 19, would bring together about 800 artists from 23 countries. International delegations have been made to visit the supposed birthplace of the Eternal President at Mangyongdae to be "briefed on the glorious and revolutionary history of Kim Il Sung". Also read the KCNA report of the festival here. more ›

Photojournalist and filmmaker Matthew Niederhauser speaks to AsiaSociety about the past, present and future of the Chinese underground hip hop scene. more ›

Well that didn't last long. Just 46 hours after Ai Weiwei set up four live webcams around his Beijing home to commemorate the first year anniversary of his 81-day arrest, the outspoken artist was told by government authorities to take them down. more ›

Look what we stumbled on. Why, it's a 'Young Lust' No 5 comic book from 1977, featuring 'Red Guard Romance', a sexy underground comix look at the Cultural Revolution! more ›

The Harbin ice sculpture festival may soon be over but artists from the city are already in Jerusalem, Israel, creating "The City of Ice", a 1500 square meter exhibit of giant ice sculptures. They're also set to bring a touch of winter to the otherwise tropical Thailand and Macau. more ›

Seen on the streets of Wuhan: A girl puts three guys on a leash and takes them out for a walk on a busy street. Performance artist Kang Yi, the man behind the act, said he hoped to provoke a discussion about gender equality. He's also hoping to bring his little act to a city near you. Next stops for the performance: Chengdu, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Shanghai. more ›

The latest Hiphop Hijack party (featuring DJ Mystykal Kut) is on at Zeal, as well as a few Valentine's-themed parties, the Battle of Wonky Kong vs Sweatshop at Shelter, and free-flow at Kaiba. If that's not your taste, there's also M50 gallery closings, a stroll through Shanghai, and a Deke Ehr's book launch. And if that's still not enough, head over to our calendar for more. more ›

Bangkok celebrates the Year of the Black Water Dragon with a special underwater dragon dance. more ›

Shot by Ricardo Mendialdua in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou. more ›

All the things you'd want to do this Monday through Thursday. On the schedule this week: The general manager of Koryo Tours Simon Cockerell talks about North Korea, there's some Tuesday night music happened at Yuyintang and Mao Livehouse, take a stroll on the Bund for Wednesday, or check out an art gallery for Thursday! Read on for all the details, or head on over to our calendar for more! more ›

Starting the weekend off with a bang is the fifth edition of Brawl on the Bund, followed by the yearly festive Christkindlmarkt, and an IdleBeats screen print art show! Plus there's another UFC brunch fight at Masse Sunday, and the return of the Clampdown Rock and Roll Dance Party! And if that's still not enough, head over to our calendar for more. more ›

Written by Singaporean playwright Alfian Sa'at and directed by Royston Tan more ›

"Ai Weiwei and I are very good friends. And we have this ongoing, joking discussion about China. It goes more or less like this: he would say, 'Oh man, you are so naïve, you think China is this, and this, and this.' And then I would say, 'But China is really great, blah blah.' I would exaggerate my admiration for China a little bit to oppose him. He is a very, very angry man, very angry in China. They have done things to him, and he cannot forgive. I'm a foreigner, I'm an outsider, I see things more with rose-colored glasses. But he doesn't see a great future for China. So even my argument 'at least you have a great future' doesn't work with him. more ›

"He's an artist and should have the freedom to express his artistic views... This is also the core value of Taiwan." more ›

All the things you'd want to do this Monday through Thursday. On the schedule this week: The Album Leaf China tour, wine tastings, Haiku turns five, and China's first sex shop comedy! Read on for details, or check out our calendar for even more. more ›

Get your hipster-artist outfit ready! DADA is hosting the 9th edition of Shanghai Photographer Night tonight, a group exhibition featuring work by Lei Gong, Patrick Wack, Chad Ingraham, Eric Leleu, and Matthieu Belin. more ›

The Ice Cream Truck's Design, Art & Fashion Fair at Wharf 1846 featured fashion shows, DJ's and fine food, along with a variety of local artists, designers, and other artisans turning out to connect with the local hipster community. It was the sort lazy weekend afternoon gathering of creatives that one might take for granted in any number of with-it urban centers, but happens all too rarely in a city like Shanghai. more ›

more ›

Photography enthusiasts, listen up! This Saturday, a special one-day street photography event put together by the one and only Sue Anne Tay of Shanghai Street Stories is happening at the Dutch Design Workspace -- and she promises it will be "absolutely fantastic". more ›

Hello September! As if signaling the end of August, this weekend isn't the most jam-packed ever, but Shanghai will always have (some) events up its sleeves. On the music end, you can catch Joy Division's Peter Hook at Shelter (more info in our Midweek Music Preview. Or there's the hotshot DJ Jacques Dumas at Zeal, parties with themes ranging from hippies to jet setters, and another great BEAN event with the kids! And if that's still not enough, head over to our calendar for more! more ›

Beautiful, mesmerising and poetic piece shot by Rishi Kaneria featuring professional stunt man Dante Ha. more ›

All the things you'd want to do this Monday through Thursday. On the schedule this week: Yoga superstar master Duncan Wong is in town, catch an arty lecture at Sasha's, a special project at Bridge 8, or one of most well known Chinese plays, 'Rhinoceros in Love' is on at the Shanghai Grand Theater! Read on (or check out our calendar) for more! more ›

Artist Liu Bolin is back with more of his famous "invisible" photos which are on show now at the Galerie Paris-Beijing. For his 19 new self portraits Liu posed in front of several international icons such as the American flag, Beijing's Olympic Bird nest, and a Venetian canal.
more ›

A 6-ft tall sign spelling the words "Bye Bye Ai Weiwei" along a canal in Venice as the city's art biennale takes place has been puzzling passerbys and art critics alike. more ›

Renowned Canadian bubble artist Fan Yang is set to wow audiences in Shanghai this July with his Gazillion Bubble Show, where he will attempt to fit 150 people inside a single bubble. Here's a glimpse of some of the amazing things he can do, performed recently at a press launch:
more ›

A new exhibition of Louis Vuitton luggage and handbags at the National Museum of China in Tiananmen Square is getting off to a flying start, proving offensive on both artistic and patriotic grounds. more ›

More photos on the Shanghaiist Contribute page. To see your photos on our Contribute page, use Flickr and tag your photos “shanghaiist”. Or you can email your photos to photos@shanghaiist.com and they will automatically appear on our site (and here). more ›