On the Scene Shanghai: Locals Talk About Current Trends in Their City

Shanghai is a multicultural melting pot and attracts artists from all over China and the rest of the world. The art scene is just as diverse and is constantly changing, driven by the city’s fast pace. 

Many artists are currently experimenting with artificial intelligence and virtual reality. At the same time, many artists are taking inspiration from old traditions and combining them with contemporary art. For one art project, for example, I was inspired by ancient oriental legends. Collaborations between creatives from different professional fields, such as fashion designers, architects, and musicians, are also a current trend. Together, they create multisensory works of art with elements from haute couture, architecture, and music. This interplay is giving the art scene a real boost. 

To discover art in Shanghai, it is also worth looking in stores and hotels. Trendy fashion labels such as Gentle Monster and high-end luxury brands often display art installations in their stores to emphasize the uniqueness of their fashion. You can see four of my artworks in the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, for example.

There are also many exhibitions currently dedicated to nature conservation and sustainability. More and more artists are using recycled materials and trying to raise awareness about climate change with their artworks.

My large-scale art installations, which I have exhibited at the West Bund Art & Design Fair and in several museums in Shanghai, also celebrate the beauty of nature. They are meant to instill reverence for nature, so that people become more involved in environmental protection.

I recommend these four art galleries to experience the diversity of Shanghai’s art scene:

ShanghART Gallery is one of the most influential galleries in China, specializing in contemporary art by Chinese and international artists.

The Leo Gallery focuses on intercultural and multimedia art experiments. 

The Aike Gallery features avant-garde works by young artists.  

The Pearl Lam Galleries, with branches in Singapore and Hong Kong, exhibit paintings and sculptures and promote exchanges between Eastern and Western artists.

Ying Jingjing lives in Shanghai, having spent most of her adolescence and youth in China and the United States. Since completing a master’s degree in fine arts in China, she has been working as a painter, sculptor, NFT artist, new media (audio and painting) artist, and spatial performance installation artist. Her works are mainly presented in the form of paintings, sculpture installations, original sound experiments, and 3D digital art. The flow and connectivity between cultures and environmental issues have become the most important creative context of the artist Ying Jingjing.