Sometimes dubbed the Moganshan Lu of 15 years ago, the artists' enclave at 696 Weihai Lu, despite its central Shanghai location, has been pulsing under the radar for much of the past three years. Originally an opium den that was later turned into a factory, 696 Weihai is now home to around 40 residents, most of them artists and designers who have taken advantage of the the location and vibe to set up their studios and workspaces there. more ›

Next time, Steve, stay for some Grandma's Mashed Potatoes. Trust us. more ›

1918 Art Space on Changping Lu (a refuge from the sometimes overpowering art gallery street Moganshan Lu) is a must-see for those in search of up-and-coming, young Chinese or foreign artists who yearn for a little more recognition within the cruel world of the culture media. Its mere cubic space, inherited from this warehouse storefront-space building, gives on-lookers the best approach to appreciate all the different works of art (paintings, sculptures…) that are being exhibited. And the impressive bay windows also attract the eyes of many a passer-by. more ›

Since Thursday, mallrats visiting Citic Plaza on Nanjing road may have noticed the greeting card and painting exhibit on the ground floor, right across from McDonald's. We were struck by how atypically childlike the artwork was, and then we found out why: they were all produced by children. The event is called the "Share Your Love" Art Charity program and is organized and hosted by the SMIC Private School in Pudong. We'll let the website... more ›

We went to opening night last Thursday and were able to get a sneak peek into the 1933 building mentioned a few posts back, where some of the exhibitions were still being touched up at the last minute. One of the purposes of the SICIW is to bring together art and design entities from all over the world into one place, perhaps fomenting future collaboration and connection. From Shanghai Daily: more ›

An exhibition on Antoni Gaudi in Shanghai? It sounded too good to be true. Held in MoCA, from August 19th to October 5th, "Cosmos Gaudi, Architecture, Geometry and Design" is definitely worth the visit though. more ›

The JazzArt concert series got off to a fantastic start with a packed house enjoying two sets of Lawrence Ku's original music on this past Sunday. His group of seven musicians featured the cream of the crop on the Shanghai jazz scene, nearly all of whom are also faculty at the JZ school — including EJ Parker, Alec Haavik, Andy Hunter, Chris Trzcinski, the author of this post, Lawrence himself, as well as the amazing Beijing-based pianist XiaJia. The concert was held at the TwoCities art gallery on Moganshan Lu, and was a perfect room for the band to play in. It's just the right size for that kind of ensemble, because there was no need to use microphones at all. In fact the only amplification used was for the bass and guitar, and it was minimal. more ›

Last Saturday, Shanghaiist was invited to attend the unveiling of Shanghai's newest gallery space, m97. Once we negotiated the tricky shared building entrance, we made our way to the second floor and was immediately impressed by the physical space and airy nature of the gallery. The grand opening featured an exhibition of by emerging Beijing photographer and artist Jiang Zhi titled "Things Would Turn Simpler Once They Happened". Immediately we had diametrically opposing thoughts. "How were these photos taken?", and "I don't quite get it...". We wished that our interpretation of the photographic exhibition was as simple as the exhibition's title, but we assume this is the art part of the exhibition. Here's a little about Jiang Zhe (pictured below) and his exhibit from information posted by m97. more ›

Going to Beijing is a little like embarking on a Chinese safari - we see rare species (honest dedicated government officials), fascinating landmarks (Olympic Buildings, formerly known as Hutongs), and even blood-curdling adventure (Ring Road traffic at 5 pm). more ›

Rodin: November 11, 2006-February 18, 2007. Shanghai Sculpture Space, 570 Huaihai Xi Lu, Open 10 am-4 pm daily except Monday. Tickets: 20 RMB. Ticket hotline: 6280 7844. more ›

Every couple of years, Shanghai's art and culture scene comes alive as a slew of exhibitions are organized in tandem with the Shanghai Biennale, arguably the biggest art event in the city. And every couple of years, Shanghaiist is disappointed by the various offerings. Shanghai never claimed to be the cultural center of China but one would think out of all the events and exhibitions this fall, something would get Shanghaiist excited. Instead, we can sum up this fall's art events with one word: Boring! more ›

We know we are a bit late on this, but the Shanghai Biennale will be going on until November 4, so you still have time. The following are our observations from one day spent at the Shanghai Art Museum last week. We accompanied a friend who is into design to the opening of this Biennale, themed HyperDesign. It features more than 100 artworks by 93 groups of artists from 23 countries and regions. more ›

The two photos above are from Shanghai. The second, we think, is Shanghai Railway Station. Barbieri's work comes to our city as part of the Shanghai Biennale and the Year of Italy in China. More Biennale events are listed here. more ›