Artist Draws Inspiration From Local Culture to Create North Bund Installation

Chinese-German artist Yang Qi is back in Shanghai with his new work in North Bund. Nearly four decades after leaving the city, he sees its rise as a modern myth shaped by people and time.

Düsseldorf-based neo-expressionist Yang is in Shanghai as part of the North Bund International Artist Residency Program.

The project has invited artists to explore the city along the Huangpu River and Suzhou Creek.

Yang, who was a young lecturer at the Shanghai University Academy of Fine Arts, left Shanghai 39 years ago when he accepted an invitation from the Berlin University of the Arts.

Over the years, Yang built a strong presence in Europe. He has been active in major exhibitions across Germany and beyond since the 1990s. He represented Germany at the 2012 Shanghai Biennale and later joined the 2022 Venice Biennale. In 2023, he marked 35 years of his work in Germany with a retrospective exhibition.

"When I come back, I bring my experiences from Europe," he said. "And I take new feelings from Shanghai back again."

Standing along the river, he said the city's transformation is hard to grasp.

"If I look at Shanghai as a stranger, the change is unbelievable," he said. "It is a myth created by human wisdom."

He created a three-dimensional installation titled Roaming Shanghai. The piece shows a small red human figure standing under an umbrella on an island, a symbol of the city.

It was inspired by the China Securities Museum, where he spent time during his stay.

The building, once known as the Astor House Hotel, hosted key figures in modern history. Albert Einstein stayed there during his visit to Shanghai. Early Chinese revolutionaries also passed through.

Water is another key element. Yang pointed to the meeting of the river and the creek. He compared it to the Rhine River in Germany, which runs through cities like Düsseldorf.

"Rivers carry culture," he said. "They are like poetry."

Yang combines Chinese philosophy, literature, and myth with Western painting methods.

One example is his recent reinterpretation of the Shan Hai Jing (The Classic of Mountains and Seas), an ancient Chinese text of myths and geography.

He calls his version the "New Shan Hai Jing." He uses mythology to reflect modern life and cities like Shanghai.

"I use Chinese culture, but I express it differently," he explained.

His work is also shaped by philosophy, including Zen thought. He said he aims to explore ideas such as identity, emptiness and human experience.

Yang has long worked to connect China and Germany through art. In 2014, he helped organize a major exhibition of German neo-expressionism in Shanghai. It brought more than 30 artists to the China Art Museum.

He has also introduced Chinese artists to European audiences. He sees this role as part of his identity.

"I am both German and Chinese," he said. "This is natural for me."

Yang believes cultural exchange is not always smooth. Different traditions can challenge each other. But he sees value in that process. He describes it as "counter-harmony," in which tension and balance coexist.

"Cultures can clash," he said. "But they can also create something new."

He remembers asking a street cobbler on Huaihai Road to polish his shoes. The man refused and asked him to return later because it was his coffee break.

"That moment struck me," Yang said. "It showed a different way of living."

For him, this mix of local life and global habits defines Shanghai. He calls it a "new culture," one that is still forming.

Yang plans to continue working between Europe and Shanghai. He wants to bring the city's story to international audiences through his art.

Shanghai is more than a place. It is a source of ideas that keeps evolving, Yang said.

"It is still changing. That is why it matters."