The 2019 Shanghai Urban Space Art Season (SUSAS) officially opened on September 28. Co-organized by the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Planning and Natural Resources, the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, and the Yangpu District People’s Government, this year’s edition continues to explore urban spatial themes against the backdrop of Shanghai’s ongoing urban renewal. The event is curated by Fram Kitagawa, the initiator and artistic director of Japan’s Echigo-Tsumari Art Field and Setouchi Triennale. Yoshiyuki Kawai, an architect and associate professor at the University of Tokyo, serves as the curator for the Space Art section, while Professor Ruan Xin, founding dean and doctoral supervisor at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Design, leads the Planning and Architecture section. Zhang Ming, professor, doctoral supervisor, and deputy head of the Department of Architecture at Tongji University’s College of Architecture and Urban Planning, serves as the chief architect for the art season.
The 2019 Shanghai Urban Space Art Season is themed "Encounters" and is divided into two primary sections: "Space Art" and "Planning and Architecture." Chief Curator Fram Kitagawa remarked: "Shanghai is a place where Chinese and global cultures meet. The participating artists represent a diverse range of international perspectives, allowing various national artistic traditions to converge here. Furthermore, as a port city, Shanghai has maintained extensive exchanges with other nations throughout its history. Whether past or present, East or West, all things meet here in a spectacular fashion. The theme of 'Encounters' reflects on Shanghai’s history and its growth, driven by an anticipation of the new connections yet to be made."
The art season is centered on a 5.5-kilometer stretch of public waterfront space in the southern section of Yangpu Riverside, with the former Shanghai Shipyard site (including the shipyard and the Mao-Ma Warehouse) serving as the main exhibition area. The exhibition is open to the public free of charge from September 29 through November 30. With the opening of the exhibition, a 2.7-kilometer stretch to the east and a 2.8-kilometer stretch to the west of the Yangpu Bridge have been connected and unveiled to the public for the first time. Simultaneously, the shipyard and the Mao-Ma Warehouse will function as the primary exhibition hub for the next two months, hosting thematic exhibitions that examine urban form and living spaces through an artistic lens.
