Conversation with the Stone
ShanghART Gallery, Shanghai

Summer group shows are hit or miss—often a last gasp after a full season of carefully orchestrated exhibitions and the peripatetic global circuit of art fairs. But on rare occasions, they can offer refreshing and inventive curatorial ideas, not only showcasing young talent but also striving for something we might deem “poetic.”

At ShanghART West Bund Central, the exhibition “Conversation with the Stone,” its title and curatorial theme inspired by a poem by Nobel laureate Wisława Szymborska (1923–2012), showcased works by 14 artists across various mediums—painting, sculpture, installation, photography, and video. The show coincided with the gallery’s first anniversary in its new space, which opened last August following the demolition of its original West Bund location. Now in closer proximity to The Long Museum, the new gallery, designed by architectural firm GOA, features a 700-square-meter underground exhibition space and a 500-square-meter reception and mezzanine.