‘India Focus’ in Shanghai

Rising interest in Indian traditions and trends

SH Contemporary’s prime attraction this year is ‘India Focus’. According to Diana Campbell, the brain behind it, this isn’t a specific ‘India’ show, as the participating artists have been integrated into the broader exhibit. Those included in the projects don’t have any galleries with separate booths at the art fair that shows the organizers’ commitment to showcasing good artworks and coming up with quality exhibits, instead of merely highlighting their exhibitor artists’ works. The expert feels that the rising interest in art traditions and trends of India will generate opportunities for Chinese and Indian cross-cultural exchange.

Initiated in 2011, ‘Now Ink’ is an ongoing theme-based exhibition, exploring the re-emergence and influence of ink painting and calligraphy on current international artistic practices , with a particular emphasis on multimedia and performative-based works. Curated by Arthub Asia with Xiang Liping and Rachel Marsden, the exhibition includes works by 17 artists: Alexandre Joly, Charwei Tsai, Chen Chun Hao, Dai Guangyu, Gyan Panchal, Manish Nai, Rohini Devasher, and Zhang Jian Jun, among others.

Site-specific works and on-site performances

‘Hot Spots’ section is dedicated to single, large scale, site-specific works and on-site performances by renowned artists, including Shilpa Gupta, MadeIn Company, Aaditi Joshi, Roberto Paci Dalò etc. Debuting this year are projections on the ground hall’s giant screen. The idea is to give a unique platform to artists and enrich the experience of visitors by making the space itself breathe and perform. Stars like Zhang Enli, and Raqs Media Collective have produced new works for this experiment.

The work of young artists

On the other hand, ‘First issue’ is built around the work of young artists who had their first important exhibitions in 2011-12, this section is a valuable tool for collectors and art lovers, highlighting new trends and astounding new talents from China and the Asia Pacific; introducing many artists like Chen Tianzhuo, Cheng Ran, Gao Luyun, Nandan Ghiya, and Yu Cheng-Ta.

Single-channel videos

In 2010, Independent Curators International (ICI - curatorsintl.org) launched Project 35, a program of single-channel videos selected by 35 international curators who each chose one work from an artist they think is important for audiences around the world to experience today. The resulting selection has been presented simultaneously in more than thirty venues around the globe.

Considering the widespread popularity and success of Project 35, ICI has collaborated with an additional 35 curators to produce Project 35: Volume 2. ICI again draws from its extensive network of curators to trace the complexity of regional and global connections among practitioners and the variety of approaches they use to make video.