Future Sex - Shinichi Honda’s Photography Installation Exhibition
kunst.licht photo art gallery, 210, North Ulumuqi Road, Shanghai
Opened 21 August 2010

Caochangdi Biennale
Caochangdi Gallery of Art, No.46 Caochangdi Arts, Beijing
Opened 28 August 2010

Skin - Dai Guangyu solo show
Yongkang Lu Art, 57 Yongkang Road, Shanghai
Until 31 August 2010

Gold· Unicorn - Graphimage by Wei Ligang 2010
Contrasts Gallery, No 181 Middle Jiangxi Road, g/f, Shanghai
Until 1 September 2010 

An exhibition featuring 20 new calligraphic Xuan paper paintings by Wei Ligang. Wei’s calligraphy conceptualizes abstract landscapes; and throughout this series, gold backgrounds are harmoniously contrasted with solid black to light grey, deep red to saturated blue. These new works are the result of his overall exploration into Chinese characters. Influenced by his background in mathematics and physics, Wei has the ability to deconstruct Chinese characters into abstract patterns that nevertheless stay true to a deeply rooted classical origin.

Gold·Unicorn: 2010 Graphimage by Wei Ligang
Contrasts Gallery, No. 181 Middle Jiangxi Road, Shanghai
Until 1 September 2010

An exhibition featuring 14 new calligraphic xuan paper. Wei creates a new visually complex language rich in magic and meaning in each stroke of this golden series. These new works are the result of his overall exploration into Chinese characters. Influenced by his background in mathematics and physics, Wei has the ability to deconstruct Chinese characters into abstract patterns that nevertheless stay true to a deeply rooted classical origin.

The Gardeners
Yongkang Lu Art, 56 Yongkang Lu, Shanghai
Until 4 September 2010

Series of photographs and a 7’ video performing the plastic plants production in Yiwu.
 

The Garden
Yongkang Lu Art, 72 Yongkang Lu, Shanghai
Until 4 September 2010
 
Installation of a plastic forest inside the gallery using the material transformed in the “Factory”. “Hell to Paradise / Paradise to Hell” will perform different characters who inhabitate this forest in ten screens camouflaged in the trees.

Off the Wall – Live Painting by Pakeong
Art for All Beijing Contemporary Art Centre, 1 ArtBase, ‘Beijing 318 Art Garden’ East 6-3, HegezhuangVillage, CuigezhuangTownship, Chaoyang District, Beijing
Until 12 September 2010

This exhibition is the first solo exhibition showcasing the works of our resident artist since the opening of the Centre in Beijing. The resident artist, Pakeong, who has been presenting a one-month artist-in-residency show at AFA Beijing since July, in which he seeks to accomplish a large-scale painting installation entitled Off the Wall.

Subjective Reality
ARTMIA Foundation, 261 Caochangdi, Airport Service Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing
Until 30 September 2010 

A presentation of abstract works by Feng Lianghong, Hu Shengping and Yang Liming who are all deeply rooted in oriental philosophy and mediation as well as traditional Asian art but at the same time explore contemporary abstract art. The result is a meditational abstract art that opens a gateway to an individual world to their own subjective reality.

Post Period Insect - Feng Shu

F2 Gallery at The Opposite House, Building 1, No.11 Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing

Until 30 September 2010

This exhibition is a continuation of the Post Period Insects exhibition last year and includes a crystal-like sparkly scorpion, new dragonflies and newly created butterflies. Another element of the exhibition is a large-scale ceramic and stainless steel skull entitled ‘Repair’ from 2008 that stands in stark contrast to the almost romantic and fairy tale like insects, yet it perfectly blends into the scene with its delicate structure.

Striking the Mountain to Shock the Tiger: An Exhibition Surveying the Creative Ecosystem for Contemporary Chinese Young Artist Groups
Amelie Art Gallery, 797 East Street,798 Art District, No.2 Jiu Xian Qiao Road., Chao Yang District, Beijing, China
Until 13 October 2010

Works included are by Yang Dazhi, Huang Kai, Chen Maling, Chen Yuwen, Du Yan, Meng Xianmin, Sun Ying, Wei Lu, Zhao Tianyang, Yang Zhengou, Yuan Jia, Zhang Chunying, Zhang Hui and Zheng Yuemei. The curatorial concept behind the exhibition is sociological, using interviews and surveys of nearly one hundred artists born in the 1970s and 80s to observe the living and creative conditions of young artists and the potential effects of the current art ecosystem on future changes in art and the development of artists. Using the creative subject key words gleaned from the surveys as a core set of coordinates, Striking the Mountain to Shock the Tiger seeks out a spiritual anchor in the flourishing, diverse practices of cutting-edge art. The artistic styles of the various participant artists vary widely, but all are brimming with talent and personality. The document segment of this exhibition consists of the artists stories of how they make a living, highlighting the struggle and perseverance involved in their delicate walk between art and existence.
 

Art for the World: The City of Forking Paths
JGM Galerie at Expo 2010 Shanghai, Expo Boulevard, Shanghai
Until 31 October 2010 

The World Expo is designed as an organic link between the human being and the city, i.e. the challenge of present and future generations in a world where the majority of the population congregates in huge metropolises. A whole ensemble of works of art along the Expo Boulevard

is to be interpreted as a series of symbolic and metaphoric signs, paving the way and aiming to provide us with information on our current day needs, desires and dreams. The main thread linking all the different works of sculpture is a web of correspondences and solidarities, composing the order of things in the given time and place. The works constitute strong models, building up loud echoes in a system of behaviours that do not distinguish between mind and matter - sculpture is the artistic genre that best brings this to the fore, since it belongs to a universal order. The works all deal with the urban context, relating to tradition and how to face the future and give the audience a better feeling about the artists’ way to face this reality.

Twenty monumental sculptures are shown, made by the leading protagonists of the international and Chinese contemporary art scene. They fit the scale of the site, which is large and impressive. Each one of them deals with a series of philosophical and aesthetic questions meant to give impetus to the new century.  The subtitle proposed is based on a novel by the Argentinean writer J.L. Borges, `The Garden of Forking Paths’ and is a transposition into the complex and multifaceted contemporary metropolises in the form of milestones leading to the ramps of the modern Tower of Babel.

Featured artists include Mircea Cantor, Chen Changwei, Wim Delvoye, Dan Graham, Subodh Gupta, Huang Zhiyang, Peter Kogler, Leung Mee Ping, Li Songhua, Liu Jianhua, Julian Opie, Tomas Saraceno, Shen Yuan, Sui Jianguo, Pascale Marthine Tayou, Xavier Veilhan, Wong Guangyi, Xiang Jing, Zhan Wang and Zhang Huan

Art Exhibitions in HK Pavilion, Expo 2010 Shanghai China
Zone A of the Expo Site, Expo Boulevard, Shanghai
Until 31 October 2010 

47 cultural performances will take place during the fair, featuring Cantonese opera, Chinese and western music, multi-media shows and dance. Two visual art exhibitions will feature the development and innovation of ink art, while the other will highlight the assimilation and transformation of western and Chinese aesthetics in shaping the uniqueness of Hong Kong art.

Phoenix Project at Expo 2010 Shanghai, Baosteel Stage
Expo 2010 Shanghai, Expo Boulevard, Shanghai
Until 31 October 2010 

Xu Bing’s towering commentary on urbanization and the accumulation of wealth and capital in China, is currently on view at the Baosteel Stage, a performance area built on the remains of a defunct Baosteel molten steel processing factory. The two phoenixes which comprise the installation measure 17 meters and 18 meters long, respectively, with a total weight of 12 tons; they are assembled from urban construction debris, construction tools and items used in the daily lives of construction workers. 

Secondhand Scenery – Dong Wensheng
Chang Art at Aman Summer Palace Resort, 1 Gongmenqian Street, Summer Palace, Beijing
3 – 26 September 2010
 
An exhibition featurning two series of photos by Dong Wensheng. In the `ChineseGarden’ series, created from 2003 to 2005, the artist elaborated on reconstructed image of southern Chinese gardens, and presents us a highly stylized fantasy world. The other series is called “Secondhand Scenery”. Using old photographic plates selected from flea markets, he reconstructed the composition of the images, and mounted the works as hand scrolls, bringing us a totally new visual experience. The artist intends to discuss the relationship between the photographer's identity and value of the image, as well as how the “concept” is produced.

Proklamasi! - Five artists from Indonesia
Chang Art, Jiuxianqiaolu 4hao,798 Art Zone, Chaoyangqu, Beijing
4 September – 16 October 2010 

Featuring Agus Baqul, Farhan Siki, Kokok P.Sancoko,Tofan Ari Widianto and Ugo Untoro, this exhibition shows interesting examples of new generation of artists in the new Indonesia. Each of them has their own way to present how the personal experience had given a strong foundation for them to search new world view, which is unique and special, and to interpret the complexity of the world. They capture the complexity not in the frame of great narrations, indeed they prefer to play with smaller scale of subjects, coming from the daily life, and to reinvent the new perception of reality.

Playing with personal issues, redefining meaning and medium, representing the new reality are part of their statement. Living in the country without governmental initiative or cultural policy, this generation of artists finds their own way to access the knowledge and to be part of global art scene. Their exploration is self-fulfilled and not supported by strong infrastructure that proves their spirit to reach new achievements that never been reached by previous generation of artists.

8th Shanghai Biennale “Rehearsal”

Long March Project: Ho Chi Minh Trail (Beijing Act I)

Long March Space, 4 Jiuxianqiao Rd, Chaoyang District, Beijing

4 September - 14 November 2010

Featuring artists Chen Chieh-jen, Liu Wei, MadeIn, Wu Shanzhuan, Wang Jianwei and Zhang Hui.
 

Childhood Fantasy - the first solo exhibition of paintings by Li Tian-bing
Contrasts Gallery, Ground Floor, No 181 Middle Jiangxi Road, Shanghai
5 September – 9 October 2010 

Li Tian-bing’s paintings are haunted by memory and an acute awareness of recent Chinese social history. He uses old photographs as the source of his inspiration, mimicking their blurred focus, subtle tonalities and surface blemishes. The work evokes both Li’s own childhood and the great changes China is currently undergoing.  

Paradise on Earth - Shi Zhiying

White Space Beijing, No.255 Caochangdi, Airport Service Road,ChaoYang District, Beijing

5 September – 13 November 2010

Conference: Collecting Asian Contemporary Art: What, When and How?
At ShContemporary 2010 at Shanghai Exhibition Centre, Shanghai
9 September 2010

Organized  by Hou Hanru, contemporary art museums from around the world will discuss issues surrounding institutional collections of Asian contemporary art such as: What is a public institution today, in the age of commoditisation of art? What is the special way to define the public and private in the context of the globalising Asia?  How to collect, conserve and present contemporary art when it’s becoming increasingly diversified in terms of media, languages and materiality? How do specific visions and strategies for collecting affect the missions of different museums, especially in the context of Asian contemporary art? How can collecting contemporary art affect public policy when increasing attention is paid to the production of culture and art by public authorities? What is the best economic model for collection of Asian contemporary art? Why collect Asian contemporary art, in the end? And what would be an ideal museum for it?”

ShContemporary 2010
Shanghai Exhibition Center, Shanghai
9 - 12 September 2010 

Last September, the show’s new format and a revived Asian art market attracted over 30,000 collectors, artists, curators and art lovers to China’s most important annual art event. This year the event coincides with the World Expo. ShContemporary will continue to explore new ideas that confront pressing issues in the Chinese and Asian art markets. Artistic values are being addressed through the large scale and experimental Discoveries section, while the Asia Pacific Collector Development Program is helping to generate new collectors in China. Mami Kataoka, chief curator at the Mori Museum in Tokyo is again collaborating as curator. Joining the curatorial team is Manray Hsu, an independent Taiwanese curator and art critic based in Taipei and Berlin. Both curators are working with Fair Director Colin Chinnery on the Discoveries section; a thematic exhibition that occupies the entire Main Hall, showcasing works by some of the most significant artists who have come to international attention during the past two decades as well as some of the most promising emerging art.

Art Canton 2010: Canton International Art and Collection Fair
Guangzhou Jin Han Exhibition Centre, Guangzhou, Guangdong
10 – 13 October 2010

Xu Heng Solo Exhibition
F2 Gallery, No. 319 Caochangdi, Chaoyang District, Beijing
11 September – 15 November 2010 

Xu Heng’s conceptual photography work touches on the issues of gender, sexuality and male/female relationships in the current Chinese society. However, passing the obvious appearance of the work, underneath the surface, his work embodies his deep personal spiritual pursuit. Xu employs his own body in every single work that he has created since 2003, and he dresses himself in a disguise of a woman in different poses. Most recently he started to utilize digital image manipulation to enhance the expression of his artistic concepts.

The 2nd Beijing China Art International Fair
International Convention Center, No. 5 Beijing Guanghua Road and World Trade Centre, Beijing
22 – 25 October 2010 

The fair includes a series of cultural activities containing top antique exhibition, high-end collection forum, artwork trade and antique appreciation meetings etc.

Rehearsal - 2010, the 8th Shanghai Biennale
Shanghai Art Museum, 325 Nanjing Road West, Shanghai
24 October 2010 – 28 February 2011 

The 2010 Shanghai Biennale raises the following question: How can we get out of the dilemma of artistic creation in the current milieu of an artistic system seamlessly and endlessly constituted by international discourse, mega exhibitions, art fairs and transnational capital? How do we identify the internal frontiers of the ‘art world’ hijacked by global capitalism while we are ourselves part of it?

‘Rehearsal’ as a theme accentuates the sense of presence and action and aptly divides the curating work of Shanghai Biennale 2010 into two parts: ‘Exposition’ and ‘Recapitulation’. ‘Exposition’ refers to the ‘rehearsal tournaments’ scheduled to be consecutively opened between July and October 2010. And ‘Recapitulation’ is to return the rehearsal tournaments back to the main body of the exhibition in Shanghai, with the three tournaments comprising its core content and groundwork. The two steps, ‘Exposition’ and ‘Recapitulation’ are part of the processes of trial and experimentation of the theme of the Shanghai Biennale on the international stage and it can also be viewed as the Biennale’s emulation of and feedback to the international art scene.