Sculptures across the globe join Shanghai's public art project- I

Jing’An International Sculpture Project Biennial’ in Shanghai comprises scintillating  sculptures by several shining stars of the contemporary art world at Shanghai park. The exhibit is part of a focused effort on part of organizers to create a permanent outdoor collection of sculptures in central Shanghai.

The idea was conceived almost two years ago with the 1st edition of this innovative biennial that featured works by Jan Fabre and Jim Dine among others around 110 acres of the popular Jing’An park. The 2012 biennial includes a couple of gigantic steel sculptures done in faux Gothic style by Wim Delvoye. Subodh Gupta’s ‘Ray’ is a massive steel bucket carrying a cascade of smaller ones seemingly falling out of it. The show is organized by Beijing-based independent curator Huang Du.

Ding Yi: Meticulous use of abstract lines and crosses

One of China’s major abstract artists, through meticulous use of abstract lines and crosses, he produces streaked patterns that are seemingly alike but subtly different. For this exhibition, Ding translates his abstract paintings into a Tai Ch’i sculpture, combining the elements of naturalness, design, shapelessness, density, tightness, and scalability in one object; the sculpture blends perfectly with the flower beds of the park.

Huang Zhiyang: Focuses on the aesthetics of Chinese traditional painting

This Taiwanese artist focuses on the aesthetics of Chinese traditional painting and the relationship between humanity and nature. He always brings together the concepts of abstraction, nature, meditation, people and environment, and correlates them in a poetic manner.

Jaume Plensa: Inspired by oriental aesthetics

A Spanish sculptor and conceptual artist, he is known for his unique style and language of art. He was made a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of Culture in 1993 and received a Marsh Award in 2009. His ‘The Heart of Trees’ is a masterpiece mixing together light effects and written characters. Clearly he has been inspired by oriental aesthetics, or more specifically, Chinese characters and the philosophical concept of Śūnyatā, or emptiness.

Kumari Nahappan: Deeply rooted in Indian philosophy

A significant conceptual artist based in Singapore, she is deeply rooted in Indian philosophy. Her work Happy Together is another artistic description of chillis. While generally realistic, it is mingled with factors of post-modernism, such as magnification, everyday qualities, pop art and vibrant colors, adding to its aesthetic charm.