Art Fair Innovations

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The dynamism and vitality of the fast-growing contemporary art scene in Shanghai makes it a fertile locality for the application and transfer of arts and curatorial management expertise. This project focuses on this location, building on multiple existing professional relationships between the UK academic staff and Chinese academics and key members of the cultural and commercial arts sectors in Shanghai. The project will provide a deeper understanding of opportunities and issues relating to the West Bund Art and Design Fair, one of Shanghai's main arts events, important to the city through its cultural enhancement and commercial activity.The project will include: round table discussions with academic and industry experts, to take place in Shanghai and London; specialist participatory workshops on digital curation in both institutional and commercial contexts and on the current and future role of ceramics in the Shanghai art market; exploratory research on collections development, the impact of current policies and the expansion of the cultural sector in China, especially Shanghai. It will culminate in an engagement workshop that will be held on the site of the West Bund Art and Design Fair. To ensure the longer term retention and active dissemination of the insights gained, the project team will produce a set of working reports in an easily digestible format. These reports and a dedicated project webpage hosted on the RCA's website will outline the research undertaken and key findings for each focused investigation.Each of the key threads of activity has been chosen for its potential to initiate a more extensive examination of aspects of the Shanghai art market and its related creative sectors. The proposed activities will act as a series of proofs-of-concept for more extensive and intensive UK-Chinese research engagement with and through the West Bund Art and Design Fair and Shanghai cultural institutions. These activities will also facilitate the direct engagement and networking necessary to build a shared understanding between the UK project team and their academic colleagues in Shanghai, as well as enabling the team of UK researchers to develop and consolidate reciprocal meaningful connections with key individuals working in or overseeing Shanghai's cultural sector.