It has been eight years since the annual Shanghai Art Fair was first held. Despite the significant expansion of exhibition areas and participating artists from different countries, one thing has remained unchanged, which is the diversity and fecundity of the artworks displayed at the fair that feasted the eyes of visitors.

Over the past two years, overseas galleries have shown increased interest in the Chinese art market following several famous artworks like the thinker and“thumb”were introduced to China through the platform of the Shanghai Art Fair. Usually, these overseas galleries bring artworks by top artists to the fair, and the art fair this year has already prompted many art lovers to guess which masterpiece will stay in China after the art fair. Among groups of overseas galleries participating in the art fair this year, the“French Legion”has been particularly eye-catching. France EMMART Center, participating in the Shanghai Art Fair for the first time, brings art works by three well-known artists; they are well-known female artist Vieira da Silva, surrealism artists Dubuffet and Masson. Apart from the French galleries, Korean galleries are also a very strong force. The Korean Gallery Association rented exhibition berths covering an area of 400 sq m although it is the first time for them to come to the Shanghai Art Fair as exhibitors, showing their aspiration to be the top exhibitor this year. With over 10 top Korean and three Japanese galleries, the Korean Gallery Association has brought a strong team that may stir up a“torrent of Korean arts”at the fair this year.

In addition to the famous artworks to be displayed at the fair, the organizers has also for the first time introduced the‘night market’, with the closing time being extended to 8 p.m. from the usual 6 p.m. One should never overlook these two hours, as it will enable many salary earners to visit the art fair and to allow arts to mesh naturally with life. In addition, the organizers have also provided clear guidance signposts for participating exhibitors, in addition to adding directions for visitors on the carpet and printing delicate brochures. All these details give prominence to the“people-first”philosophy. The high service standards and people-oriented measures and improvement are also one of the major highlights of this art fair.

Art stems from life. When artworks are not just displayed on the exhibitions, everybody could be an artist in his life.

A journey of peace for the world

German documentary photography show“Peace counts”is one of the key exhibition items of the 7th Shanghai International Arts Festival. The show was held between October 29 and November 11 on the fourth floor of the new Bund Archive, which belongs to the Shanghai Municipal Archive.

This documentary photographic exhibition displays 11 groups of pictures concerning attempts to seeking peace. The theme of peace may not be as attractive as battles, and the three German photographers went to about 20 countries to make a photographic record of these successful attempts in seeking peace. Instead of pictures of destruction and separation, which is a common theme of wars, this show pays attention to the instants of communications and reconstructions. Nevertheless, these pictures do not focus on celebrities and heroes; their emphasis is on these common people who have played roles in breaking racial, ethnical and economic barriers.

Shanghai Folk Art Exposition: displaying the quintessence of folk and ethnical arts

The Shanghai Folk Art Exposition was recently concluded at the Shanghai Exhibition Center. The exhibition hall, covering an area of 5,000 sq, was turned into a paradise for folk arts lovers, displaying artworks by 30 well-known folk artists. The exhibition lasted for six days, and it has earmarked special areas for students as well as community dwellers.

Shanghai, the host city for the 2010 World Expo, is quite determined to make folk arts part of the cultural programs for the establishment of a modern metropolis and an important brand for the upcoming World Expo.

Vinitaly returns to Shanghai

Vinitaly China has opened in Shanghai for the 7th time. The famous wine trade fair was held on November 24-26 at the Shanghai International Exhibition Center. Vinitaly, with a history of around 40 years, is the largest trade fair in the wine-making industry. This year’s event was organized by Veronafiere in collaboration with SIEC (Shanghai International Exhibition Corporation). The exhibition aims to promote Italian wine culture and specialty foods, with over 160 exhibitors from Italy and other countries gathering in Shanghai to display their wines.

Fourteen members of the wine association for high-ranked brands and their Chinese importers participated in the event this year, displaying top Italian wines that are sold in the Chinese market. Masi, ranked as the best winery in Europe last year by the famous“Wine Enthusiasts”magazine, and Zonnin, whose history dated back to 1821 and now enjoys the largest market share in China, also took part in the event. In addition, around 30 wineries from the Veneto region of Italy formed the largest exhibition team of the event.

Two Asia, Two Europe

“Two Asia, Two Europe”, an exhibition of contemporary international arts, was held on November 4 at Duolun Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition displays works by artists from China, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, France, Holland, Belgium, Norway, Poland, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The exhibition hall was divided into two part by a wall, displaying artworks by Asian and European artists respectively, but there are many‘peep holes’on the wall for visitors to see artworks in the other part of the exhibition hall, signifying that European and Asian arts should learn from each other.

Asia Electronic Exhibition: A real pageant for consumer electronic products

The Asia Electronic Exhibition, which kicked off on November 22 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center, was a real pageant for consumer electronic products. At this exhibition, many globally well-known consumer electronic manufacturers have rented larger berths to display their latest 3C technology and products. The theme of this exhibition is“Asia Electronics: a trendsetter from the future digital world”, and it aims to display the developmental trend of the whole industry chain in Asia.

The Olympic Games in the printing field

The 14th Shanghai International Advertising Technology & Equipment Exhibition, which was jointly organized by Shanghai Modern Int’l Exhibition Co and the China Association for Printing and Equipment, was held on November 22-25 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. The exhibition, with an area of 30,000 sq m, was divided into three‘theme exhibition halls’, attracting over 200 exhibitors from all over the world. These exhibitors displayed their latest technology and products, making it a splendid show of printing technology. Many professional visitors have been looking forward to this event for a long time due to the attendance of top printing firms and the introduction of digital printing exhibition this year. In order to boost the image and public awareness of this year’s event, the organizers have invited over 30 domestic and overseas media to make continuous reports of the event, and the associations of printing, packaging and paper making also did a lot of publicity work; as a result, the number of professional visitors to the event hit a fresh high this year.

The exhibition reflects its consistent characteristics of“Being international, professional and creating its own brand”. Over 300 exhibitors from more than 10 countries and regions including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan participated in the event. A seminar entitled“Digitalization of printing and new technology in digital printing”was also held during the exhibition.