After being in Shanghai for three months, I decided that I should probably see a few sights before I come home.
First on my list was the Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art. I'm no fine art critic, but I'm pretty sure this museum is a misnomer - it's more of a two-room gallery than a museum and it's not just contemporary, every piece was created in the last two years. Has anyone coined the term "ultra-super-postmodern" yet?
The tiny museum was filled by a single exhibit: "Sport in Art," commissioned by Adidas as part of their sponsorship of the 2008 Olympics. On display were a range of artists, Chinese and foreign, experimenting with different media. The only thing the works had in common was a little Adidas logo hidden somewhere. For example, one painting portrayed old-looking martial artists and ninjas flying through the air. Though most ninjas go barefoot, one of them was sporting a bright blue and red pair of sneakers.
Some of the logos were less subtle. One painting showed a naked woman caressing a large bright Adidas logo. Is it classic Pop Art or a new marketing scheme? That is the most interesting part of this exhibit for me - it pushes the boundaries of an already experimental art form. Is it still considered Pop Art if a big corporation stands to profit?
Like all good modern art museums, though, there were a few random interactive pieces that make you question what the artist was thinking. My favorite was a punching bag, surrounded by a life-size boxing ring, which lets you create a drum beat with each blow. I think I've decided what I want for Hanukkah.
Next on my list was a trip to the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center. Sounds exciting, right? This is another misnomer; it's a museum if I've ever seen one. The main exhibit here is a scale model of Shanghai from the year 2020. How do they know exactly what it will look like 12 years from now? This is one of the benefits of communism - or "capitalism with socialist characteristics."
Not only do they know what it will look like, their plan is incredibly detailed. After two minutes of staring at the enormous model I was able to locate both my office and my apartment building. It was so detailed, in fact, that I could even see my bedroom window. There couldn't be a practical purpose for making a model with such detail, and I'm not sure if it's really considered art either. I guess it's sort of like the Great Wall - it's a pointless waste of money but everybody's really glad it happened.
Among the least noticeable landmarks in the model was the Bund, the strip of old Western banking centers along the Huangpu River that was the most recognizable sight in Shanghai until the Oriental Pearl Tower was completed in 1995. For many Chinese, the Bund still represents the lingering effects of western imperialism. But instead of doing away with it, Shanghai is trying to one-up it.
Though both museums were fairly impressive, they struck me as a little cosmetic. I think that pretty much sums up my impression of Shanghai. It's supposed to be this immense, towering symbol of the future of China, when in reality, it's not really China at all. I've been to the real China. I stayed overnight with a family in a rural village and it was, as expected, fairly quiet and easy-going. The people there probably care little about Shanghai's skyscrapers or Beijing's Olympics. But still, even if all this was laid out to impress me, the student/tourist, what can I say? It worked.
Mike Adams is a junior majoring in international relations. He can be reached at michael_j.adams@tufts.edu.
