Artfest features crossover concerts, art exhibition at shikumen complex
An art exhibition, crossover concerts and immersive performances are presented during the ongoing In•Shanghai Artfest, which is being held at The INLET through early December.
Jointly organized by The Center for China Shanghai International Arts Festival and The INLET, the Artfest aims to attract young art lovers with innovative shows staged in traditional alleys, integrating the past and the future in a cultural complex of renovated shikumen (stone-gate) buildings in Hongkou District.
The performances involve traditional Chinese music, pop concerts, contemporary dance and traditional dramas. One of the recommended shows is a crossover concert on November 26, during which Pingtan artist Gao Bowen will join hands with an art song singer to present a new version of the folk song "Jasmine Flower."
The performances at the In•Shanghai Artfest involve traditional Chinese music, pop concerts, contemporary dance and traditional dramas.
Israeli violinist Shlomo Mintz will join the performance online. He will cooperate with dancers from the D.Lab Dance and demonstrate Kreisler's "Liebesleid" and "Liebesfreud." The China Beaufin National Orchestra will illustrate the 24 solar terms with music and multimedia during the concert.
As part of the Artfest, an experimental art exhibition "Debut" is on at The INLET and will run through December 4.
The project started in 2018. Curator and artist Chen Fenghua spent years talking and living with elderly farmers in Chongqing City and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region as well as Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou provinces, and encouraged them to express their recognition of the world through painting. For most farmers, it was the first time they held a painting brush.
Ballerina Tan Yuanyuan at the "Debut" exhibition.
"I was born in a farmers' village," said Chen. "I once asked my grandfather to paint a tree. He doesn't have any painting skill, but the result was interesting."
He added that "Most of the participant farmers aren't educated. They relied on impulse to do their paintings. I listened to their stories to make the exhibition complete."
The debut painting works, together with Chen's recording of their lives and painting process, comprise this exhibition that showcases the life and art of a special group.
The Artfest aims to integrate traditional and contemporary elements.
Debut
Time: through December 4, 10am-8pm
Tickets: Free entry
Address: Building 5, The INLET, 989 Sichuan Rd N.
