NICK FORRISTALL writes:
This trip has been exactly what I have just called it: a trip. Shanghai is a much, much different city than Chicago, which is of course to be expected. But the two don't even compare. Here, you have some of the most ornate, eccentric skyscrapers just two or three blocks from truly poor people selling cigarettes and old scarves out of their homes, which open onto the street. It's a eclectic blend of fish guts, smog, bricklayers, rice, and so much more.
Yesterday we went to Bizart, which is our hosting art group here. Our friends there told us a lot about the art scene in China, which was quite interesting with the dueling powers of poor/rich, eastern ideals/western ideals (which are quickly melding here).
The thing that is find most interesting about Chinese art is the fact that until around 1979, there was no such thing as the "creative, free art" which we know today. It was mostly Mao Propaganda. In '79, everything came together, and the art which people in China had been missing out on came flooding in. This created a new wave of very fast, quick-handed growth in the art world, and soon enough, as expected, the Chinese artists came into experimentalism.
The most interesting "gallery" of note (to me) is Art for Sale, an event which happened in 1999. At this event, people interested were invited into a real supermarket, where on the shelves they viewed and were able to buy many funny/ironic/random things which the artist(s) had designed for the event. Items of interest included many things: small paintings in a pile of oranges, etc. There was also an area for installations, performances, and videos.
Soon enough, after about four days or so (I think), the government came in and shut it down. This was the most shocking to me. The items being shown, and the art being streamed, was apparently too "pornographic" and "borderline disrespectful."
It's a very interesting place and very interesting time to be in Shanghai. I am loving every minute of it.
Nick Forristall is a junior in the audio arts and acoustics department.
