Basquiat's giant dinosaur heralds Year of the Dragon

Contemporary artist Jean-Michel Basquiat's iconic crown-wearing dinosaur has appeared in Shanghai as a giant art installation to celebrate the upcoming Year of the Dragon.

Basquiat (1960-1988) was a trailblazer of the 1970s and 1980s New York art scene. He created Pez Dispenser, as the dinosaur is called, in 1984. It's a typical Basquiat work which nicely blends elements of street art with Neo-expressionist style.

A 15-meter-high Pez Dispenser now stands on the north square of the HKRI Taikoo Hui mall, surrounded by neon lights designed in the shape of 35 of Basquiat's popular works.

Credit: Jiang Xiaowei / SHINE

More than just an installation, it allows people to get into the dinosaur to become part of the public art. People can press crown-shaped buttons to control the neon lights.

The mall is also adorned with wooden boxes painted with 33 of Basquiat's works.

A pop-up store provides limited editions of related products.

Credit: Jiang Xiaowei / SHINE