Welcome to the vibrant world of art of Shanghai, where the month of June brings forth an amazing array of exhibitions that transcend boundaries and ignite the imagination — and serve as great content to class up your WeChat Moments feeds!

This month, we embark on a journey through surrealism, documentary photography, vibrant pop culture design, and thought-provoking contemporary expression. Huzzah.

Painting the Essential: Surrealism and the East

If you have a keen interest in exploring the rich exchange and integration between Chinese and Western cultures, this exhibition is worth your attention.

The Centre Pompidou X West Bund Museum Project launches an annual exhibition that presents selected collections from Centre Pompidou in France. It features works from Dong Qichang, Bada Shanren, Yun Shouping, and Gong Xia, exploring the relationship between surrealism and Chinese art. The exhibition also showcases works of several European surrealist masters like Joan Miró and André Masson — big brands from our Art History 101 textbooks. One to check out for fans of contemporary Chinese and/or surrealism.

Time: Daily except Mon until Sep 24, 10:00 -17:00

Venue: West Bund Museum

Address: 2600 Longteng Dadao, near Longlan Lu, Xuhui District

Price: 120 rmb

Memphis Again: Stuck Inside the Revolution

Here's an exhibition for connoisseurs interested in ‘80s interior design, particularly of the Italian persuasion. Memphis, a design group hailing from Italy, emerged in the 1980s under the leadership of Ettore Sottsass. They epitomized the new wave of Italian design, representing the Italian version of the post-modern design movement. The exhibition, a collaboration between Memphis Milano, Shanghai Modern Art Museum, and Global Design Distribution, stands as the largest collection of the group's works, featuring nearly 200 iconic furniture pieces and objects. Expect lots of bright, playful, very ‘80s interior pieces — imagine a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air shirt... but as a coffee table.

Adding to the exhibition's allure, renowned interdisciplinary artist and illustrator Massimo Giacon has been invited to create a series of dynamic works specifically for the event.

Time: Daily except Mon until Jul 30, 10:00 -18:00

Venue: Modern Art Museum

Address: 4777 Binjiang Da Dao, near Pudian Lu, Pudong District

Price: 118 rmb

Personal: A New Form of Documentary Photography

A photography exhibition that puts the photographer under the lens along with their subject matter.

The artworks feature the creative talents of five promising Chinese artists: Chen Ronghui, Liao Yijun, Ma Hailun, Xu Haifeng, and Zhang Boyuan. Through the collection of 46 works, the exhibition prompts the audience to reconsider the definition and application of "documentary photography" within the realm of art. These young photographers are approaching documentary photography in a manner akin to storytelling in novels, where each frame may conceal hidden narratives and open up new stories. An interesting one for photography fans looking to do a little critical theory chin-scratching at the gallery.

Time: Daily except Mon until Jul 29 ,10:30 - 17:30

Venue: SCoP: Shanghai Center of Photography

Address: 2555 Longteng Dadao, near Longlan Lu, Xuhui District

Price: 40 rmb

Yao Qingmei: Mole

Another exhibition at West Bund Museum. A small one but one worth the trip out — and it's free.

Yao Qingmei's inaugural solo exhibition marks an important milestone in her career. In a series of seven videos, the multidisciplinary artist, born in 1982, explores her questioning of the body from the experience of three years of the pandemic. Confronted with the closure of the country's borders, the artist presents a set of works that mix reality and fiction, narration and contemplation, in "a joyful meditation on human destiny." If you're still wrestling with attributing meaning to the presence of the pandemic in your life "Mole" is one to check out and get inspired by.

Time: Daily except Mon until Sep 3 ,10:00 - 17:00

Venue: West Bund Museum

Address: 2600 Longteng Dadao, near Longlan Lu, Xuhui District

Price: free

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