Carnival of animal sculptures comes to town

“The Carnival of the Animals,” featuring 33 pieces from 11 artists — including sculpture, mixed media and photography — is currently under way at Galerie Dumonteil and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Hall.

Inspired by Dumonteil’s long-standing interest in animal art, the exhibition features different types of sculptures, including bronze, sandstone, biscuit porcelain and wire mesh. It’s also influenced by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns’s renowned musical suite “Le carnaval des animaux” (The Carnival of the Animals), combining art and music to produce a multi-sensory experience for visitors.

One piece, “The Hippo Family” by Daniel Daviau, showcases the artist’s mastery of patina paint and the elegance of lines in a poetic world where all creatures are equal.

Jean-Marie Fiori’s “Head of the Ara” and “Head of A Toucan” can be considered the spatial and thematic continuation of Ugo Schildge’s “The Lost Birds” hanging on the wall as the backdrop, where wild creatures disappear in a beautiful jungle. They convey a message that humans must stop destroying the environment lest we drive wildlife into extinction.

Over the years, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Hall has been transformed from a wonton-shaped concert hall into a multiple-dimensional showplace that presents classical music and other contemporary art forms. For the exhibit, it serves as a temporary home for six large animal sculptures — Daniel Daviau’s “Hippopotamus,” “Barnaby”, “Giraffe,” “Canadian” and “Moose” and Tess Dumon’s “Mare and Her Foal” — that will be on display the entire 2020-2021 season.

Ti Gong

Exhibition info

Venue 1: Galerie Dumonteil
Dates: Through October 31 (closed on Sundays/Mondays), 11am-7pm
Address: Building 105, 199 Hengshan Rd

Venue 2: Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Hall
Address: 1380 Fuxing Road M.