Global Craft Takes Center Stage as Shanghai Artwork Trade Week Opens

The 8th Shanghai International Artwork Trade Week opened on Tuesday, under the theme "Global Art in Shanghai."

More than 300 Chinese and international art institutions have converged in Shanghai, showcasing over 10,000 exceptional artworks, during the six-day event. More than 100 art events are unfolding across the city, creating a dynamic cultural landscape that brings together art commerce, exhibitions, arts education and cultural experiences.

Together, these activities are taking world-class art beyond gallery walls and into neighborhoods and everyday life, making art more accessible and seamlessly woven into the urban fabric.

The Trade Week will feature a series of flagship events, including the West Bund Art & Design and the ART021 Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair. This year also marks the debut of the "Young Artists Support Initiative," which will bring together art fairs and professional art institutions to identify, discover and select promising emerging artists.

At the West Bund Art & Design, artist and spatial designer Chen Yaoguang presents two large-scale installation works, "The Gift (Shanghai)" and "The Gift (Macaron)."

The Gift (Shanghai), conceived as a gift to Shanghai, is a kinetic installation that translates plant growth into a spatial expression that invites public interaction and engagement.

"Shanghai is a city of constant layering, growth and renewal," Chen said. "The hexagon represents order, while the open corner symbolizes openness. It is precisely this intentional void that softens the rigid boundaries of the man-made structure, allowing natural light and shadow, as well as human perception, to flow freely into the space."

"The Gift (Macaron)" extends from Chen's longstanding interest in the infinite possibilities within a defined set of rules in Go and the Eastern philosophical traditions associated with the board game, while reflecting on the complexity and openness of life through the interplay of order and chance.

Pavillion France is dedicated to showcasing the richness and diversity of contemporary French art, fostering artistic exchange and dialogue between China and France, and building lasting, meaningful partnerships between the two countries' art communities.

Finnish visual artist Elias Langi presents "Vault of Good," a large-scale installation crafted from aluminum, wood and concrete. Drawing inspiration from architecture, history and religion, Langi's artistic practice explores the expressive possibilities of contemporary technologies and manufacturing processes.

During the Trade Week, social media platform Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, also brings its annual art initiative, the "Aha Art Season," with the exhibition "Aha, This Is Art Too" to Fuxing Park. Featuring more than 40 works, including interactive installations, video art and sculptures, the exhibition transforms everyday inspirations into unexpected artistic encounters, inviting visitors to engage with art through strolling, games and hands-on interaction.