Visitors can pick up a phone to hear a pre-recorded message.

“It’s quite a challenge for Anselm to complete such a large exhibition in 10 months, especially in a country quite strange to him,” says Li Xu, vice-director of PSA, and a member of the academic board as well.

This is the first time the biennale, the largest contemporary art event in Shanghai, has hired a foreign curator to take charge of the whole exhibition. Since its establishment in 1996, the Shanghai Biennale has taken Shanghai as its primary focus, gathering cutting-edge international curators and artists to explore the ultimate connection between urban life, contemporary art and the public.

“Shanghai Biennale has completed its phase one mission, which is to go international,” Li says. The next step is to avoid the stereotype of a biennale. “We have intentionally avoided the so-called ‘star’ artists who are already highly recognized,” Li says. “We want to explore the further potential of contemporary art. Hopefully, more talents will get recognized on the platform of Shanghai Biennale.”

Besides the main exhibition at PSA, this year’s biennale also features a serial project named Urban Workshop. This is the collective title of a series of exhibitions to take place at a few land-mark locations in downtown Shanghai, such as Xintiandi, K11 art mall, and Jing’an Kerry Center.

“If urbanization is a driving force in contemporary China, we’d like to help people to relate to art in their daily life,” says Zhu Ye, curator of the Urban Workshop.

These exhibitions will kick off one after another, in order to initiate continual interaction with the general public.

If you go

11 am-7 pm, Tue-Sun, Nov 23-Mar 31, Power Station of Art, 200 Huayuangang Road, 021-3110-8550

花园港路200号，上海当代艺术博物馆