Art
Thursday, 07 May 2009 07:05
Written by Berwin Song

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stageBACK Gallery steps away from China to give Shanghai its share of “international individual-ity”

Given the vast number of galleries throughout Shanghai, it might be hard to believe that art was a fairly limited affair in town not so long ago. Susanne Junker, the director behind the fledgling stageBACK Gallery, recalls a time when Shanghai’s art scene left her strangely unsatisfied. Having traveled through China for over five years, she says, “there wasn’t much exposure for international artists to show their works except when they showed China-related themes.”

Indeed, take a stroll through any of the art districts around town and you’ll notice there’s a premium on art with Chinese characteristics – calligraphy, mass-produced copies of more famous works (seas of Yue Minjun’s toothy smiles; imitations of Zhang Xiaogang’s Bloodline series). At any given moment, the majority of exhibits in the city will boast some sort of connection to the mainland, whether it’s the subject matter of the works or the artist itself.

Click here to read on and for a profile of Five Shanghai Germans on show this month... stageBACK Gallery steps away from China to give Shanghai its share of “international individual-ity”

Given the vast number of galleries throughout Shanghai, it might be hard to believe that art was a fairly limited affair in town not so long ago. Susanne Junker, the director behind the fledgling stageBACK Gallery, recalls a time when Shanghai’s art scene left her strangely unsatisfied. Having traveled through China for over five years, she says, “there wasn’t much exposure for international artists to show their works except when they showed China-related themes.”

Indeed, take a stroll through any of the art districts around town and you’ll notice there’s a premium on art with Chinese characteristics – calligraphy, mass-produced copies of more famous works (seas of Yue Minjun’s toothy smiles; imitations of Zhang Xiaogang’s Bloodline series). At any given moment, the majority of exhibits in the city will boast some sort of connection to the mainland, whether it’s the subject matter of the works or the artist itself.

And why not? After all, we are in China. But Junker (herself a photographer with a focus on non-China-related subjects) longed for “a wider range of works, creations and influences of different [ideas] and cultures.” Certainly, in an art market serving an admittedly shallow buyer base – tourists drawn to China specifically for its Chinese characteristics – there isn’t much opportunity for the local scene to diversify. Indeed, gallery owners in town have commented on the difficulties of selling art that doesn’t have Chinese characteristics.

Determined to carve out a space in town which would cater to her own sensibilities, Junker began looking for open spaces around Shanghai. She discovered such a space at 696 Weihai Lu – an abandoned auto parts warehouse that used to be an opium den when it was built in the 30s, and where over 40 artists have set up shop. “The newish underground artist enclave,” as Junker calls it, became her launching pad for stageBACK – hidden among the folds of the post-industrial complex in a glaringly bright white room, the gallery is dedicated to “the great importance of education, knowledgeable discoveries and surprising, even shocking displays to create strong reactions from the visiting audience.”

stageBACK was thus launched late last year, opening with a show of Junker’s own photography, followed by Candyfloss Overboard, a collection of images from German artist Sylvie Tillman (and brought over in cooperation with Teapot Gallery in Cologne, Germany). Memorable, among other things, for a close-up series of assholes, Tillman’s exhibit got plenty of tongues wagging – a triumph in Junker’s eyes. Though admittedly a bit nervous about how the show would be received, Junker says she witnessed something she had never seen before: an entire room of people talking about the art on the walls instead of quaffing back the free wine. In that way, stageBACK had fulfilled its purpose: to stimulate audiences and shock them into discussing the merits of the art.

In addition to her contributions to the local art scene, Junker has also been satisfied to note similar changes around town. “Recently, [there have been] more galleries that concentrate on art in general without putting it into categories,” she says, adding that “stageBACK is happy to be part of this movement and creation of this new art market in China that brings international individuality into the local art scene.”

For those in the art world, it’s a basic (yet major) step in the right direction. “Reaching the status of difference in selection and presentation is one of the goals to achieve in China on many levels,” says Junker. For stageBACK’s part, Junker plans to further carve out a niche in the scene by continuing to feature international artists and foreign artists living in China at the gallery – taking the “first steps towards individuality in art and culture.”

stageBACK Gallery, 310, 3/F, 696 Weihai Lu (135 0171 7590) www.stageback-shanghai.com

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