Raising a paw for Shanghai's stray animals
A charity art exhibition kicks off this weekend at M50 Park in a bid to save stray cats and dogs from the harsh winter approaching.
The exhibit features the works of 26 Shanghai-based artists, with photographs, oil paintings and calligraphy being showcased.
Each work is signed by the artist, mounted and framed on the museum-collection level. All the works are donated by the artists to help get those homeless four-legged angels through the winter.
Photographer Lu Yuanmin, who has documented Shanghai street life for years, donates his “Hoody in the Lane,” portrait, which vividly captures a stray white cat with a black forehead lying by a car.
Artist Zhu Jingyi has donated two of his graffiti works done in Chinese ink and brush on rice paper, while oil painter Conet Lee depicts a black cat with big, round eyes wide open in his painting “Countryside” with bold colors and child-like straight lines.
The money raised from the exhibition, which runs to January 12, will be donated to Yang Yuhua Stray Animal’s Protection Center based in Chongqing.
Yang, 69, has adopted more than 1,000 stray dogs and 200 cats over the past 30 years.
She sold her houses and factories and used up all of her savings to maintain the center’s operation.
The average cost of pet food each month, medicines, rental and staff workers is 110,000 yuan (US$15,700), and it’s now partly supported by volunteers’ donation of money and daily supplies sent from all over the country.
Last year the charity art exhibition, in its first year, raised about 14,600 yuan from photographer Lu’s 20 Polaroid photos, alone.
Exhibition info
Date: December 21-January 12, 10am-6pm
Venue: Ruipin Gallery, M50
Address: 4C-107, 50 Moganshan Rd
