Arte Laguna Prize Makes Asian Debut with Exhibition in Town

The Arte Laguna Prize, a prestigious event in the international art scene, is making its Asian debut with the exhibition "Arte Laguna Prize Contemporary Art Exhibition Shanghai – China 2025" at EKA・Tianwuin, running until December 15.

The Arte Laguna Prize has been dedicated to fostering artistic innovation and promoting multicultural exchange since its launch in 2006. It encompasses a wide range of contemporary visual arts, including painting, sculpture, video and digital art. Each year, it attracts artists from many countries, with the 2024 edition receiving nearly 30,000 submissions from over 80 countries and regions.

"Its Asian debut is not a simple extension of the exhibitions in Venice or other regions, but a 'new cultural formation' where creations from different regions meet and reorganize through the medium of contemporary art language, generating cross-border cultural resonance," said Huang Ye, chief curator and also a long-standing member of the academic committee of Arte Laguna Prize. "Shanghai serves as Asia's gateway to the world, where its inclusive and open traits nurture a place for dialogue rather than merely a space for display."

Curated under the theme of "Diversity and Resonance," the exhibition intertwines and juxtaposes visual languages from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Over a hundred artworks varying from painting, installation and photography to video all respond to one question: "How can contemporary art find a common frequency amid cultural diversity?"

The exhibition is not only about art itself but also about how culture reorganizes itself in a state of flux.

Some works reconstruct cultural memory through symbolism and narrative, others expand the boundaries of perception through abstraction and installation.

The exhibition venue, EKA・Tianwu, also inspires the team to maintain its original industrial framework, with rust-colored walls, cool lighting and digital screens.

Du Songru, one of the participating Chinese artists, said at the opening, "Since the Industrial Revolution, the influence of scientism on humanism has persisted, yet there always remains a spiritual core of mankind that cannot be replaced by an 'algorithm'."

If you go:

Date: Through December 15 (closed on Mondays), 10am-6pm

Admission: 29.9 yuan

Venue: Bldg 7 and 2/F, Bldg 50 at EKA・Tianwu

Address: 535 Jinqiao Rd, Pudong New Area

浦东新区金桥路535号EKA天物