A nostalgia visit to 1960s-80s Nanjing Road
The exhibition is held in the hope of finding the designers of the exhibits, which are the evidence of daily life in the 1960s-80s.
The second exhibition of the series “Whose Designs,” showcasing 30 Shanghai-produced items from the 1960s-80s, is open to the public at the Museum of Contemporary Art Pavilion of Shanghai through July 30.
Titled “Shanghai Nanjing Road,” the exhibit presents products that were once seen or sold in the stores along Nanjing Road, ranging from snack wrappers and posters to cosmetics and cassette players.
“We want to evoke the public’s nostalgia by hosting this exhibition,” said Jiang Qinggong of the Shanghai View Studio. “But more importantly, we hope to find our exhibits’ designers through this show.”
The studio has made a short film with pictures of every exhibit in detail, and phone numbers at the bottom, so the designers and their families can recognize their works and make contact.
Maxam Powder Compact, 1980s
Kuihua cassette recorder, 1970s
Although the products had different functions, their designs demonstrate a unique Shanghai feature, which, according to curator Zhou Qi, is a mixture of different cultural characteristics from all over the world.
For example, features of Neoplasticism can be found at the 1978 “Exhibition of Practical Arts, Shanghai.” Jiang used the word “yangqi,” meaning chic or Western-like, to describe the designs.
“The design of putting everything together is very much like the life in shikumen,” said Zhou. “We used to share the kitchen, with everyone gathered together for meals, and each family has their own stories to tell.”
Jiang revealed that visitors usually have more stories to share than the staff when they see the exhibits.
“These were used to sharpen pencils,” explained a mother at the exhibition to her young daughter, who was curious about the vintage pencil sharpeners.
“I got one pencil sharpener like these as a present from my father,” the mother said. “It was a valuable gift to a child at that time. Children nowadays no longer see this kind of pencil sharpeners because theirs are all mechanical now.”
Roc pencil sharpener, 1980s
Exhibition info
Date: Through July 30, 10am-9pm
Venue: MoCA Pavilion of Shanghai, People’s Park
Address: Gate 7, 207 Nanjing Rd W.
