Jing'an Welcomes Sculpture From Around the World

The 9th Jing'an International Sculpture Project (JISP), which opened on September 24 and runs through December 31, brings contemporary sculpture into parks, streets, waterfronts and commercial spaces across Shanghai's Jing'an District under the theme "Shapes of Becoming."

The main exhibition is centered at Jing'an Sculpture Park, with additional works along Nanjing Road W. and Suzhou Creek. In total, 36 works are being presented at 28 locations, nearly 60 percent of them by international artists.

The lineup includes 14 countries and regions: China, France, the UK, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Greece, Denmark, Finland, Australia, Brazil, and South Korea. Award-winning British sculptor Tony Cragg, Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, Australian contemporary artist Lindy Lee, and French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel, whose work is permanently installed at Versailles, are participating.

This year's theme examines how artists are rethinking sculpture in response to a changing world. Nature, materials, urban life, personal memory, and technology inspire the works, expanding sculpture's definition.

Stone and metal sit alongside light, sound and digital media. Some works invite viewers to interact with them or respond to their surroundings, transforming the experience of sculpture in public spaces.

From daylight to evening, several works change with the light, offering different views of the sculptures and bringing them into closer conversation with the landscape and city.

The Jing'an Sculpture Park Art Center is also hosting three indoor exhibitions, giving visitors another way to encounter the works while connecting the indoor program with the outdoor installations.

Young artists rule JISP this year. Commissioned works by under-45 artists decorate the park's central lawn. JISP is also inviting current students and recent graduates to submit works for selection with the Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts and the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, introducing new voices.

Art beyond the park

The exhibition is accompanied by over 30 public events, including a photography call, a youth creative competition, art workshops, eco-art wellness sessions, lawn concerts, and a bubble-themed art theater.

A JISP-themed pop-up shop has been on the first floor of the Jing'an Sculpture Park Art Center since September 20. Sculptures have been turned into silk scarves, canvas bags, T-shirts, and accessories.

JISP also takes its art beyond the park. In partnership with Brompton, the project has created a cycling route connecting off-site works with cultural landmarks across Jing'an.

Fotografiska's façade features "Flora," which brings images of nature and ecology to the waterfront and echoes the development of the Suzhou Creek ecological corridor.

The interactive work "Convergence" at Shuangyong Park incorporates Shanghai's architectural heritage into a neighborhood pocket park with shikumen arches and wrought-iron window grilles from old villas.

At Jing'an Kerry Center on Nanjing Road W., a dynamic generative artwork fills digital screens with moving imagery, bringing contemporary art into one of the city's busiest commercial districts after dark. Since its launch in 2010, JISP has explored how public art can become part of the city itself.

Xu Jian, director of the Jing'an Planning and Natural Resources Bureau, described the project as a way to test how art can be integrated into different parts of the urban landscape.

"The exhibition is a practical model for exploring how art can be integrated into different urban spaces," Xu said. "The goal is to create an open-air museum without walls while improving the quality of public spaces and making culture accessible to everyone."

Public art has been used in urban renewal and spatial planning in Jing'an to improve the Suzhou Creek waterfront, neighborhood streets, pocket parks, and underbridges. The district has expanded pedestrian and bicycle routes.

The aim, Xu said, is for art and everyday city life to share the same spaces.