Global diversity shines at the largest edition yet of West Bund Art & Design,
On November 12, West Bund Art & Design concluded its 10th edition with its biggest event yet.
Held next to the Xuhui River in Shanghai, the exhibition gathered 185 galleries and consisted of four main venues: Hall A and Hall B of the West Bund Art Centre, the West Bund Dome, and the newly constructed building.
On its opening day, despite heavy rain, a stream of international visitors flocked to the exhibition, providing evidence that global artistic exchanges had returned to normal.
Gallery West Bund
In 2014, the first West Bund Art and Design Fair was held at the West Bund Arts Centre, an aircraft manufacturing plant, featuring just over 30 art and design galleries and organisations,
Including AIKE, WHITE SPACE, ShangART Gallery, Hauser & Wirth, Pace Gallery, and The White Cube.
At the time, West Bund was one of eight art fairs held in Shanghai, including the inaugural Photo Shanghai, ART 021, and the Bologna Shanghai International Contemporary Art Fair SH Contemporary
Since then, the West Bund has blossomed into an important cultural hotspot in Shanghai, with its array of galleries and museums.
Works on display at West Bund Art & Design
This year the exhibition saw a 50/50 split between local and international participants, and the works on display covered a variety of media such as painting, sculpture, video and digital works, presenting a rich picture of global artistic creativity.
Many of the highlights of the show came from major returning international galleries, such as Lisson Gallery, Perrotin, and Thaddaeus Ropac;
These booths were echoed in several concurrent exhibitions taking place at the same time, including at the 14th Shanghai Biennale.
For the first time participating in both the West Bund and ART021, Gladstone Gallery presented three pieces of colorful sculpture by Ugo Rondinone at its booth in the West Bund,
While presenting artists who had significant exposure in the region at ART021, Rondinone’s works were also notable at the booths of Esther Schipper and Sadie Coles.
Art Galleries at West Bund Art & Design
Some galleries have participated in West Bund for 10 consecutive years and have developed unique perspectives on being part of China’s contemporary art system.
Westbund displays cutting-edge artwork by local and international artists and designers, and its focus on contemporary art and design distinguishes the gallery from other traditional galleries.
Wendy Xu, General Manager of White Cube Asia, noted that the gallery location is also unique, and the numerous art galleries and art institutions in the surrounding area create an atmosphere where art, culture and life blend together.
White Cube presented nearly 30 international artists at its booth, including photographs by Andreas Gursky and paintings by Georg Baselitz.
On the first VIP day, the fair’s sales included works by artists such as Tracey Emin, Magnus Plessen, Marina Rheingant, and Minoru Numata.
Since her first participation in the exhibition, Xu has noted that “the Asian market, especially China, has had an increasing influence on the global art scene.
More collectors became interested in contemporary Chinese art, and Chinese collectors were active in international fairs and exhibitions.
See More: Artistic Vanguard 2023