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Shanghai Culture in Toronto
Currently showing at the ROM, are the world's first exhibitions to convincingly capture a sense of Shanghai constantly reinventing itself these past 150 years.
Shanghai 1860-1949: Historical Photographs
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Modern and adventurous, this exhibit includes installations, photos, designer fashion, architecture and video. Contemporary artists give an insight into their city's dramatic cultures and urban growth. |
Historic Photographs 1860-1949
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In the 1930's Shanghai was nicknamed "Paris of the Orient [Paris of the East]". Over eighty powerful images pay historical compliment to Shanghai's past. |
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In 1904 the ROM's founding director acquired the first Chinese textiles by pure chance at a Bejing art market. In 1918, 500 imperial robes and fabrics were added to the ROM's collection. This made the ROM the first museum in the world to house an impressive collection of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) court costumes and textiles.
Patricia Harris Gallery of Textiles and Costumes (ROM's Permanent Gallery)
Next door to the Shanghai Kaleidoscope exhibit, however, is a must see permanent exhibit of some of the ROM's impressive collection of Chinese textiles. Spectacular silk tapestries and insignia depict exquisitely embroidered dragons, cranes and peacocks are all found in the Patricia Harris Gallery of Textiles and Costumes.
Since the early 1990s, Shanghai has been one of the world’s fastest-changing cities. Approximately 60% of the old city has been razed and covered with new construction. Thousands of skyscrapers have been erected, a new subway system built along with an ultramodern international airport, numerous new bridges and tunnels have all been constructed in the last 10 years. With 20 million inhabitants, it has become China’s largest, most dynamic and globally connected city. This rush to economic power has encouraged the rise of a remarkable cultural life.
Title: Neon Lights,
Image ©: International Art Treasures Web Magazine
The piece, entitled Landscape: Commemorating Huang Binhong (small version, 2008), is a “painting” composed of 360 neon tubes designed to suggest both the short brushstrokes reminiscent of traditional Chinese ink painting as well as contemporary Shanghai’s neon-illuminated nightscape. The work is dedicated to the celebrated artist Huang Binhong (1864-1955), one of the leading 20th-century innovators in traditional Chinese painting, who was famous for his freehand landscapes.
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Another section features the work of three contemporary Chinese fashion designers, accompanied with runway videos. |
Wang Yiyang, one of China’s most internationally acclaimed young fashion designers, employs a modern approach to traditional Chinese garments, such as his summer 2005 collection entitled Blue, made of the blue fabric favoured by Chinese living in rural areas. Here he presents his Spring 2008 fashion designs. Zhang Da’s designs combine the traditional Chinese method of flat cutting with a style that employs minimal cuts and stitches without using darts. Gao Xin, one of Shanghai’s emerging designers, has a reputation for edgy, urban fashion that appeals to a youthful clientele. His Even Penniless line is known for a deconstructed masculine silhouette in women’s clothing with imaginative zippers, buttons and ribbon. On display here are his Winter 2008 designs.
Title: Historic Shanghai,
Image ©: International Art Treasures Web Magazine
These exhibitions add an exciting contemporary dimension to the ROM's longstanding commitment to East Asian art and architecture. The Museum’s outstanding Chinese collection, ranked among the finest outside China, is featured in four galleries located on the main floor of its historic buildings: the Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Gallery of China, the Bishop White Gallery of Chinese Temple Art, the Matthews Family Court of Chinese Sculpture, and the ROM Gallery of Chinese Architecture.
Title: Shanghai Family,
Image ©: International Art Treasures Web Magazine
Shanghai Kaledescope
through November 2, 2008
Shanghai 1860-1949: Historical Photographs
through October 28, 2008
Royal Ontario Museum: