1918 Art Space's new location on Suzhou Creek arrived on the scene like King Kong scaling the Jin Mao with a glass of champagne in his hand and a woman in the other. What, no hands? Few but Zhao Yong-gang's most loyal fans believed that it was possible to move a 50 sq. meter gallery in a living room in the French concession and transform it over a quiet Chinese New Year holiday into a 500 sq. meter storefront designed by up and coming architects INK (www.inkness.com). Primarily designed by Wendy Saunders of K M Tan and Vincent de Graaf's Shanghai office, perched above the stairs which double as stage seating, one can almost engage in time travel downtown to Manhattan's OMA designed Prada store on Broadway. One wonders why INK, based in both China & Amsterdam, doesn't just go work for Koolhaas instead of so obviously parsing him. Like Prada's Manhattan flagship, one has the feeling that anything is possible in 1918's new Art Space - fashion shows, film shoots, celebrity bashes, design parties, and yes, there is still some room for high art openings. With a strong accent on the design, 1918 space is also poised to be an excellent resource for bridging connections between the art world and the design world. All they are missing now is a generous liquor sponsor
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