Despite the cataclysmic shattering of the Chinese contemporary art bubble, Shanghai galleries are busier than ever in the month of April, unveiling interesting and provocative new exhibitions. Here¡¯s a few ongoing shows that we¡¯re going to check out, and a few that we¡¯re looking forward too:

Ongoing

"MOVE" @ ifa



Closing: April 12

¡°MOVE¡± is a group photography exhibition featuring works by three French photographers: Audrey Salmon, Jean-S¨¦bastien Lallemand, and Arnaud de Gramont. In addition to national unity, the artists are joined in theme, and each deals with conceptions of rhythm, transformation, and action in their work.

It¡¯s a broad show in terms of subject matter, with the teeming density of the urban space depicted by Salmon, the immortal and ephemeral nature of the human form represented by Lallemand, and the energy and contrast of light depicted by de Gramont.

Tres bon.

"Time in West, Light in East" @ Elisabeth de Brabant



Closing: May 10

We haven¡¯t had a chance to check out the new gallery by Shanghai-based curator Elisabeth de Brabant, which is unusual because -- art be damned -- the whiff of controversy usually has us clamoring at the gates. ¡°Time in West, Light in East¡± is as good a time as any, however, and the exhibition features for the first time in China the ¡°complete works¡± of Shan Sa.

Shan Sa is a French author born in Beijing with a back story that reads like a Wes Anderson film. She published her first work of poetry at age 8, winning a national prize, received a grant from the French government to live in Paris, worked there as a secretary of a famous painter, and published her most famous novel, The Girl Who Played Go (2001) while still in high school (thanks Wikipedia).

I guess she paints too. I¡¯m not familiar with either her writings or her art work, but I¡¯m a huge admirer of success stories that would make for some fabulously idiosyncratic cinema.

Upcoming

"Transposing the Common" @ Eastlink



Run: April 4 to April 25

¡°Transposing the Common¡± pares the expansive and domineering urban photographic landscapes of Dutch photographer Hans Wilschut with the tourist portraits of Chinese photographer Shao Wenhuan. The pressures of urbanization meet the erasure of context and history in the effacing eye of the global tourist.

I¡¯m always up for a little alienation, dejection, and estrangement on a global scale.

"His Story: Sun Xun Solo Show" @ ShanghArt H Space



Run: April 3 to April 30

Despite only being born in 1980, Sun Xun has been quite prolific as an animator, and his work has appeared in film fests, including the 25th Torino Film Festival, (2007), and in exhibitions at Duolun and BizArt. For ¡°His Story¡± at H Space, ten of Sun Xun¡¯s animations will be on display, from his earliest works up until his newest fantastical and noir creations.

¡°His Story¡± is also the name of Michael Jackson¡¯s video anthology, so he¡¯s in good company there.

"Stephen the Speculator: Jin Shan Solo Show" @ ddmwarehouse



Run: April 11 to May 17

Taking a turn for the facetious is artist Jin Shan is his solo exhibition at the new ddmwarehouse space at 570 Huaihai Lu, ¡°Steven the Speculator.¡± In the exhibition, the artist examines the religious concept of the ¡°martyr¡±, retelling the archetypal story arch of martyrdom in five story parts with some not-too-subtle symbology. Apparently the martyr figure is ¡°materialized into a herd of persecuted sheep¡± (from the press information), examining the power dynamics between the public and their idol, and the lot of martyrdom.

Mark Your Calendars

Open House @ 696 Weihai
Dates: April 18 and April 19

Beloved local artist colony 696 Weihai is throwing an open house on April 18 and 19. It¡¯s your chance to see how the creatives live and what they get up to when they get up to stuff. 696 resident Chris Gill has published a map of participating studios and gallery spaces in the event. Check that out right here. Also check out his piece on the ¡°signs of recovery¡± in China¡¯s art market here for some interesting reading.

Cover and top images for this article taken from promotional images for the "Stephen the Speculator" exhibition at ddmwarehouse.

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