The growing popularity of contemporary art in Shanghai has driven foot traffic to galleries like ShanghART, where Swiss founder Lorenz Helbling has for decades striven to stay at the helm of the city's creative circuit.
Now a sought-after space for local artists to present their latest works, ShanghART opened in 1996 with humble beginnings in the corridor of the Portman Hotel, now the Portman Ritz-Carlton, in central Shanghai.
"The beginning was in a hotel and we were just there and open 12 hours a day, seven days a week, and waited till somebody comes," said Helbling, who first arrived in Shanghai in 1985 to study Chinese history and film at the city's prestigious Fudan University.
In the early 2000s, ShanghART moved to the now-iconic 50 Moganshan Road, also known as M50, a thriving contemporary art district located in the northwest of Shanghai's city center. Once a collection of dilapidated industrial factories, M50 has transformed into a fashionable hub for creative minds, with artists breathing new life into the old warehouses.
"Many artists were quite happy. I had a place here [where] they could show art. They thought that was ideal for the artist here in Shanghai, where each artist tries to find his own voice, his own way to express his ideas. So M50 was kind of ideal for that. Everybody could find a place that fits him. The freedom of having a gallery is just showing works you like. I think it's important and we'll stay around," said the gallerist.
M50 was underscored last year when China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) recognized the district as a model case for the preservation and transformation of industrial heritage.
According to recent data, foot traffic in M50 surged by 77 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2024, with 20 percent of visitors coming from outside China.
As the city's art scene continues to evolve, ShanghART has become a preferred venue for many emerging and established artists. Contemporary Chinese artist Hu Xiangcheng has chosen the gallery for his latest exhibition, citing its deep cultural roots as the ideal backdrop for works that took years to complete.
"I really love this gallery. Back when there were still very few galleries in China, ShanghART was already serving the function of a gallery, helping connect the public with artists. It's a place for displaying and collecting artists' ideas. Contemporary artists have always paid attention to ShanghART because it has always been at the forefront of the art scene," Hu said.
Swiss-founded gallery in Shanghai becomes mainstay for contemporary Chinese art
