Shenzhen OCT Loft

Another "Contemporary Art Zone" parachuting Shenzhen, OCT-Loft, established in 2004 and expanded in 2007. There are 2 districts in OCT-Loft including the He Xiangning Art Gallery, total area is 95571 sq.m. This is much more obvious a commercial place. Few large interior firms, including Kenneth Ko, fashion brands and life-style stores stationed and setup offices there. Of course, galleries and cafes are the must have elements for the "art and culture industry".

Official website: http://www.octproperties.com/loft/

An exhibition held in OCT-Loft, called "Alternative Reference". The artist Wei Yan used the aesthetics narrative way from a chinese ancient ghost stories to create his artworks.

Piranha and fish-eating people (Oil on canvas)

Laojiang in the Wuzi Year (Oil on canvas)

Hope begin with the belief (Oil on canvas)

Liaozhai - Song Wei's plan (mixed media)
The artist collect the physical data of an ordinary person. Then transfer and print the data on the plant.

Shanghai Contemporary Art Zone - M50

M50 Creative Garden is the art zone in Shanghai. It is a composition of galleries and workshops of artists from different countries, and also architect firms, design institutes, film and movie production houses and cafes.




The name M50, is coming from the location of the Chunming Roving factory, which is located at no.50 Moganshan road on the south bank of Suhe Creek. At the very beginning, domestic artists gathered in this obsolescent factories. Few years later, more than 130 foregin and domestic artists established their galleries and workshops here because of the intervention of Shanghai Municiple Economic Committee. The new establishment makes M50 a reputated area of cultural and innovation industry. I cannot say it is a good change or not because such change reallly introduces the local artists to the world (like 798 art zone). But the autonomy of their artworks should be grown inversely with the chance to be known/ promoted.


This environment is quite familiar because it looks like the corridor of Fotan. But personally, I don't want Fotan becomes another tourist attraction.

M50 official website:
http://www.m50.com.cn/en/about_m50.asp

City Lag_Exhibition in M50

This is an exhibition held in a gallery in M50, an art zone in Shanghai. Artists in this group exhibition are Singaporean MO in Paris, Chinese Chen Ji in Melbourne, Chinese Yang Xiaomin in Japan, and three more Asian artist work in their hometown. They are all living, studying or working in Metropolis. Modernization and Globalization caused rapid development in their cities. Information exchange quickly via internet, people are getting closer, communicating more. Distance between cities are closer while between persons are longer. Theme of the exhibtion is City Lag, artists wanted to express their thoughts of communication between people lagged behind the evoluation of society and technology.

However, I found another lag in the exhibition. That is Art Lag. Cultral exchange and chance increases for artists to study or work abroad also lessen the originality or characteristics of the works. This is funny that I found the Shanghainese staff of the gallery listening songs of a Canto-rappers called The Farmer. She said she is the fan of this Hong Kong rappers group but she hasn't been to Hong Kong or speak Cantonese. Is it another phenomanence of globalization?

Color of the city

Have you ever think of how's the color of Beijing is changing? Every change of the color represents a kind of change (or contamination) in the culture of Beijing. Just half year, before and after Beijing Olympics, I found the color of Beijing has changed a lot.

The color of the newspapers and magazines stall: black and white --> chromatic
Actually, the color of newspapers stall has already changed for a long time. As imported or local newly launched magazines occupied the stall. Magazines with different subjects, such as fashion, technology, hip culture, gossip, etc, possess covers in different colors which creates a chromatic scene.

The banner on top stated: Big sale for renovation of the whole mall.

Color of shopping malls: brick red --> reflective grey
The 1st picture shown the entrance of an old shopping mall in Xidan district, a well-known shopping area in Beijing, and the 2nd one is the facade of the newest shopping center besides. There are almost 10 mega shopping centers in Xidan district and most of centers are already under renovation. The new shopping mall will be all with similar facade as the mall shown in the 2nd picture (using relfective mirror as exterior). Sooner, I may get lost in the grey forrest.

Dafen Hutong

The pictures are not taken in DaFen, they are taken in a Hutong in Beijing. This is one of the famous market for selling antique, calligraphy and Chinese paintings before. Now, some of the some stores and hawkers started selling contemporary artists' counterfeits. The painter or the owner of the stall shown in above picture even sign his own name on all counterfeit paintings. He told me no picture on his stall when he saw I was taking picutre on his signature. That is ridiculous that he introduces "his paintings" to the lady showing interest to buy them! The art becomes completely meaningless commodities here! Poor the painter and the art!

Which way home?

Because of my new job, I have to travel frequently to China since end of January. And because of this, I'm always passing or waiting to "home" in the border between China and Hong Kong.

Have you ever think of "which way is your home actually?". This is the question suddenly comes to my mind when I was waiting the train to home in Lok Ma Chau.

Although, I can still saw the view of Futian (China region) clear, I felt much more relax and comfortable when I sat in the Lok Ma Chau Station (Hong Kong region). Comparatively, I was tensed, always paying attention to the people around and the food I chose to take when I was in the region of China. Just only passing the gate of Hong Kong's border, all the nervous gone and my muscles relaxed. This makes me think again the issue raised in a lecture before: Does frequent contacts of people bewteen Hong Kong and China breaks the "BORDER" between? Yes, the cultures of Hong Kong and China are interacting/ interchanging continuously. That's why you may found some places in Shenzhen or Shanghai look like the same in Hong Kong. But to me, someone was born and grown in Hong Kong, can never find the sense of security/ home when I'm in China. I'm not saying China is not good, but just want to share my feeling here.

One more interesting I want to share here. Do you know what's the English name of 回鄉証 (the pass of Hong Kong resident to China)? It called "home visit permit". Is it interesting that I have to get a permit to back to home? And more interesting is, which way is your home actually?

Fotanian Exhibition

I like the ambiance of the corridor. The gate of the lifts also well decorated.

This is the most interactive workshop in the Fotanian Exhibition. The artist invited visitors to participate in creating the artwork. I called it "shoot with the leaders".



An installation called "Qi Dong Qian: Apple doesn't fall far away from the tree"

VW Hong Kong Exhibition

As a fashion lover, I can't resist to go Vivien Westwood Exhibition.

There is a world's end clock on the entrance of the exhibition. It represents Westwood's attitudes towards her creative world, "I have a kind of in-built clock which always reacts against anything orthodox". I think it is also gives the mood of entering her time capsule.

This is one of the most favorite collection I like in the exhibition, called Wallace Collection. Westwood got the inspiration from the 18th-century French paintings. She used statuesque models dressed in sumptuous costumes and posed on 10-inch platform shoes, as if on a pedestal. The idea was that they had just stepped out of a portrait.

The real "KungFu"

It is a special lunch in Guangzhou. How special it is? I haven't feel its attribution until i saw the following poster.

It stated that, they inherited the 5000 years culture of "steam" in Chinese cuisine. All the food they provide are steamed. They believed steam is the most balance method to cook because it use fire and water together which act against each other in the concept of 5 elements (of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth), therefore, the nutrition in the food could be kept in the best condition.

The cooking concept is not the only thing interested me, but the ambiance of the restaurant also worth studying. You may recognized the interior design and the graphic used for the menu of the restaurant look like those used by McDonald or KFC. It is clever that they "borrowed" some famous fast food restaurant's ambiance to sell the traditional Chinese style of food. Customers, especially children and teenagers, will not too resist to take food there. However, some may say fast food culture even sway the representation of the traditional food. Globalization, consumerism and more US culture multiplied rapidly in China already!