Illustration exhibition displays Norwegian illustrators' observations and discoveries in Shanghai

The newly launched Shanghai Illustration Art Center, located on the seventh floor of the renovated Shanghai Book City on Fuzhou Road, is hosting its first art exhibition "Nonghao (Hi), Shanghai!"

The exhibition displays impressive artworks of three Norwegian illustrators – Mari Kanstad Johnsen, Bjørn Rune Lie and Kristin Roskifte, who used to spend more than two weeks living in the city. The three artists' personal observations and discoveries in the glamorous city of Shanghai are vividly recorded in the paintings.

In 2019, the three artists participated in a 17-day tour in Shanghai. They acted as observers to discover, and record their findings about the city through city walks.

Their illustration works, combined with their own styles, were created from a fresh perspective and identity of the artists to reflect the contemporary significance of Shanghai as a "global city," as well as its position as a multi-cultural metropolis of history and modernity.

Johnson uses casual brushstrokes to record the fast-paced urban life. She blends the elements of Chinese ink wash paintings with her own art style to create a collage like effect, which enables her paintings to impress visitors with poetic imagination and a sense of freedom and vividness.

Lie's paintings have a flat look and presents different groups of people on the streets. With a particular focus on cyclists on roads, he portrays how different cyclists carry large luggage in small tricycles without falling down.

In his eyes, life in China is full of cleverness and wisdom. In an illustration titled "The Dragon," he depicts a person riding a tricycle carrying a dragon shaped sculpture, with the city's high-rise buildings behind it as the backdrop. Tradition and modernity are intertwined in the painting, which also interprets his impression of Shanghai.

Always carrying a sketchbook with her, Roskifte constantly observes her surroundings with curiosity and empathy. She records the details of the city, such as its people, objects, atmosphere, and architecture. Her style is more rigorous, but equally imaginative. In an illustration of an array of buildings, Roskifte adds many different urban elements of Shanghai and creates a new urban impression.

Illustration is known as an international art form that transcends different cultures, spaces and time, conveying resonance and rich emotions to the readers.

Organizers noted that the exhibition is strengthening the cultural exchange between China and Norway using illustration art as a medium. Through this exhibition, people will see the uniqueness, humanistic attributes, and cultural contributions that illustrators have maintained in the digital age.

"Shanghai has always held an inclusive attitude towards residual history and diverse cultures," said curator and artist Li Aixia. "The three artists drew inspiration from their own cultural experience and the folk customs of Shanghai, and transform this contradiction and fusion into micro narratives and situational dramas about the city's people, atmosphere and architecture through illustration works."

The importance of illustration in today's Chinese society lies not only in its profound cultural heritage, but also in its diversity and adaptability, which can play a crucial role in different fields of education, cultural exchange and business.

Shanghai Illustration Art Center plans to host six illustration-related exhibitions throughout a year. It aims to build a comprehensive platform for illustration art and related industries. In the future, various high-quality and professional illustration exhibitions, forums and art lectures will be held at this artistic urban space.

Exhibition Info

Date: Through December 25

Venue: 7/F, Shanghai Illustration Art Center, Shanghai Book City

Address: 465 Fuzhou Rd 福州路465号