shanghai art

shanghai art museum, on one end of the people's park in the center of town, has tons of patriotic/propaganda art. this one is so gorgeous that i stood and stared for a few minutes.

moganshan/m50 is shanghai's newest answer to the jing's 798 art district. i love these girls' outfits, especially juxtaposed with the bike and cookie monster. the graffiti'd sign behind them that says some stuff about "new asia conglomerate" and a limited liability corporation! from industrial park to art space, just like 798.

stormtroopers, angry pandas, etc. i liked the feel of the outer fringes of moganshan--much like 798 pre-commercialization, i'd guess. the heart of moganshan, though, was commercialized and touristy yet still charming, like 798 today.

798

at 798 art district. wearing a fake hermes scarf, plus an american apparel t-shirt and a seconhand skirt.

flowers in individual plastic pots are all over china's public space in pretty displays, but as an environmental studies student it feels like a toothache to see so many disposable containers everywhere...

reflected in an exhibition piece at the "voyage/disintegration" show at 798 space.

fashion politburo

back in beijing after really enjoying xi'an!

so the factory 798/dashanzi art district is a bit played-out by now, but it's still a pretty happening place for art, food, coffee, indie boutiques, and other literati/chic things. i'd wanted to visit for ages, and i even did a presentation on it as a freshman in my chinese language class back in chicago...i finally got to live the dream.

friends wandering.

BEIJING COOL. indeed.

meditative, in the midst of old german-designed factories.

an entire exhibit by ai weiwei, perhaps the most famous chinese modern artist. i didn't realize the exhibit was happening, so when i wandered into the gallery i just about jumped up and down in excitement that i had stumbled upon it...

monks, in a different gallery

i didn't get the chance to snap a better picture, but that ad definitely says "fashion politburo."