| island6 Arts Center | |
|---|---|
| Established | 2006 |
| Location | Shanghai People's Republic of China |
| Type | Contemporary art |
| Director | Thomas Charveriat |
| Website | island6 Arts Center |
island6 Arts Center (Chinese:六岛艺术中心) is a not-for-profit, artist-run space in Shanghai, P.R.C. founded in 2006 by French curator/artist Thomas Charvériat.
island6's mission is to provide a forum for contemporary artists whose works explore social, aesthetic, and philosophical issues and show "a large roster of European and Chinese artists whose work is exhibited in a series of tightly curated group shows."[1]
Since April 2006, island6 Arts Center has had four locations in the Moganshan Lu area, the vibrant art district in Shanghai. Currently showing its 43rd exhibition, island6 has exhibited more than 500 artists from 21 different countries, sponsored 139 resident artists and helped in the creation and the production of around 2000 art projects. In 2007, island6 founded Liu Dao, a multimedia art group composed of performance, sound, photography and video artists collaborating with engineers to create electronic art.
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island6 was first established at Moganshan road number 120 (located at ), in the Fou Foong Flour Mill, a four-storey red brick building designed in 1897 by the British architectural firm of Dallas & Atkinson. The Fou Foong Flour Mill was founded by Mr. Sun Duoxin and his brother Mr. Sun Duosen (from Anhui province) who made it the largest and most advanced mill of Asia of the late nineteenth century by being the first ones to import American machinery and by offering its 2,000 employees the benefits of a hospital and two on-site schools.[2][3]
Its success attracted many other entrepreneurs, resulting in the creation of 16 additional mills and the base for China's modern milling industry.[4] Later it was purchased by Rong Yiren, Vice-President of the People's Republic of China from 1993 to 1998 and onetime business tycoon. In 2002, the Fou Foong Flour Mill complex was sold to a real estate developer, most of the silos were demolished and the "small packaged flour" warehouse where island6 once stood was facing imminent demolition. The remnant of Suzhou Creek’s industry was fought by architects and university professors, and island6 became historical heritage architecture. In 2006, the warehouse was rented out to Thomas Charvériat, Margherita Salmaso, Zheng Guoyang and Kang Jingfang who were responsible for the foundation of the first island6. On March 2006, Thomas Charvériat registered Island6 Arts Center Ltd in Hong Kong and on April 1st 2006, “Invisible Layers, Electric Cities” [1] the first art exhibition organized by island6 (and curated by Allard van Hoorn & Margherita Salmaso) opened its door. From June 2006 to June 2008 Charvériat assumed the direction of the space. For these two years, island6 was noted for its remarkable location in a field of rubble surrounded by "high-rises creeping in from the distance", standing as a prime example of Shanghai's transformation from old to new.[5][6]
In June 2008, facing imminent eviction by real estate developers,[7] island6 moved to Moganshan number 50 (m50), a district of galleries inside old warehouses and factories, where it remains to this day.
Established in 2006 in m50 (located at ), the new island6 space was founded towards the promotion of emerging and prominent Chinese and international artists. The m50 district is found at the heart of the former Shanghai Chunming Roving Factory. Located on the southern bank of the Suzhou River, m50 art district was once called the Xinhe Spinning Mill, belonging to the Zhou-family and supplied merchants from Anhui province with cotton and textile. In 1994 the enterprise was renamed Shanghai Chunming Woolen Mill. Following a series of joint exhibitions between island6 and ifa gallery, the converted space, designed by French architect Philippe Diani and dressed with furniture by Aymeric Lefort, has undergone complete renovations. On August 2008, the space was once again rehabilated by Taiwanese architects Zheng Guoyang and Kang Jingfang. Starting January 2009, Thomas Charvériat, seconded by Zane Mellupe, took the direction of the space.[8] In October 2009, Binbin Wang joined island6's board of directors. In 2010, writer Peter Bradt joined the curatorial team.
The art collective Liu Dao is the most frequent and extensive presence in the island6 Arts Center. The group’s works often use video recordings of simple movements to be turned into an animated sequence of bitmaps. The results are alluring LED representations that blink and shift in their own realities. Liu Dao’s works tend to move in the themes of sensory engagement, voyeurism, urban development, tradition versus modernity and technology, and Chinese cultural history.[9]
A key component of the gallery is its residency program, which was set up in 2006 to help artists from around the world interact with the constantly shifting energy of Shanghai and build a relationship with its inexhaustible dynamic. Resident artists have over 750 square meters to work with, as well as an exhibition area and production studio, while staying near Shanghai University. It is a member of the International Artist-in-Residence Organizations Res Artis and Trans Artists Foundation. By June 2010, the island6 Residency Program focused only on Chinese national artists and was by invitation only. The program was ceased in late 2010 due to the directors taking on a new direction. Nonetheless, Liu Dao still occasionally cooperates with other artists for the creation of truly unique pieces.
| Artist's Name | Country of Nationality | Exhibitions |
|---|---|---|
| Zou Susu (邹林峰) | China | "The Artist Died Yesterday", "Automata", "Urban Lust", “Clouds of Crowds", "Zero Gravity", "PlugIt", "Made in Shanghai", "Made in China", "Nuit Blanche", "Eurasia One", "Remote/Contol", "Bits, Bytes and Pixels", "I Love LEDs" |
| Zhang Deli (张德丽) | China | "Synesthesia", "Pi", "The Artist Died Yesterday", "Automata", “Urban Lust”, “Clouds of Crowds", "Zero Gravity", "PlugIt", "Made in Shanghai", "Made in China" |
| Yang Longhai (杨龙海) | China | "The Artist Died Yesterday", "Automata", “Urban Lust”, “Clouds of Crowds", "Zero Gravity", "PlugIt", "Made in Shanghai", "Made in China", "Nuit Blanche", "Eurasia One", "Platform for Urban Investigation II", "Remote/Contol", "Bits, Bytes and Pixels", "Untitled Santa", "I Love LEDs", "Getting Along" |
| Wu Yandan (吴艳丹) | China | "Synesthesia", "Pi", "The Artist Died Yesterday", "Automata", “Urban Lust”, “Clouds of Crowds" |
| Wang Dongma (王东马) | China | "Synesthesia", "Pi", "The Artist Died Yesterday", "Automata", “Urban Lust”, “Clouds of Crowds", "Zero Gravity", "PlugIt", "Made in Shanghai", "Made in China" |
| Rose Tang (唐罗丝) | Taiwan | "Synesthesia", "Pi", "The Artist Died Yesterday", "Automata", “Urban Lust”, “Clouds of Crowds", "PlugIt", "Made in Shanghai", "Made in China", "Remote/Contol", "Bits, Bytes and Pixels", "Untitled Santa", "I Love LEDs", "Getting Along", "Forward/Backward and Reloading" |
| Steve Messam | United Kingdom | "Eurasia One", "Forward/Backward and Reloading" |
| Zane Mellupe | Latvia | "Synesthesia", "Pi", "The Artist Died Yesterday", "Automata", “Urban Lust”, “Clouds of Crowds", "Zero Gravity", "PlugIt", "Made in Shanghai", "Made in China" |
| Li Lingxi (李翎溪) | China | "Synesthesia", "Pi", "The Artist Died Yesterday", "Automata", “Urban Lust” |
| Tom Lee Pettersen | United States | "Synesthesia", "Pi", "The Artist Died Yesterday", "Automata", “Urban Lust”, “Clouds of Crowds" |
| Nick Hersey | United Kingdom | "Synesthesia", "Pi", "The Artist Died Yesterday", "Automata", “Urban Lust”, “Clouds of Crowds", "Zero Gravity", "PlugIt", "Made in Shanghai", "Made in China" |
| Chaim Gebber | Brazil | "Synesthesia", "Pi", "The Artist Died Yesterday", "Automata" |
| Manels Favre | France | "Synesthesia", "Pi", "The Artist Died Yesterday", "Automata", “Urban Lust”, “Clouds of Crowds" |
| Danamza | France | "Pi" |
| Thomas Charvériat | France | "Synesthesia", "Pi", "The Artist Died Yesterday", "Automata", “Urban Lust”, “Clouds of Crowds", "Zero Gravity", "PlugIt", "Made in Shanghai", "Made in China", Lecture on Digital Arts, "Nuit Blanche", "Eurasia One", "Platform for Urban Investigation II", "Remote/Contol", "Stop/over Cities", "Bits, Bytes and Pixels", "Untitled Santa", "I Love LEDs", "Getting Along", "Forward/Backward and Reloading", "Platform for Urban Investigation", "Invisible Layers, Electric Cities" |
| Cai Duobao (蔡多宝) | China | "Synesthesia", "Pi", "The Artist Died Yesterday", "Automata", “Urban Lust” |
| Year | Title | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Invisible Layers, Electric Cities | The first ever island6 exhibition, Invisible Layers, Electric Cities featured 15 international artists, including Constantino Ciero (who later became part of the permanent exhibition at Museum FLUXUS+), Thomas Charvériat and Lee Walton. The work centered around a theme of urbanism as a framework of reality. |
| 2008 | Clouds Of Crowds | The final exhibition held at island6’s initial premises in the Fou Foong Flour Mill, Clouds of Crowds explored themes in time, space and environment. Engaging all senses, it showcased a series of interactive sculptures created by the island6 Lab, visual artists, and sound artists, as well as a live performance from Acid Pony Club.[10] |
| 2008 | Urban Lust | Urban Lust was the first exhibition held at island6’s current home on 50 Moganshan Lu. Jointly organized with Ifa gallery, it showed twenty-three artists of diverse cultural backgrounds. The show examined the theme of desire, how it is defined and how it affects the lives of people in the urban center of Shanghai. |
| 2009 | The Artist Died Yesterday | The Artist Died Yesterday was a group show featuring a diverse collection of artworks. It was created as a response to the way the internet, “affordable art” and changing expectations of art collectors have altered the role of the artist. It was also a part of the 2009 Jue Festival. |
| 2010 | Prophecies | Planned as a mixed-media show evaluating the power of foresight, conceptions of time and the study of the future, Prophecies gained controversy when it was cancelled before it was opened.[11] |
| 2011 | Spring Floods and Peach Petals with The Arts House | With island6’s artwork traveling to Singapore for the first time, Spring Floods was a collaboration between island6 and The Arts House. It showed thirteen new artworks reinterpreting the theme of traditional shan shui art.[12] |