Fosun is an artwork in itself
Editor's note:
Architecture is frozen music, an epic of stone and a cultural monument. An art museum epitomizes this.
In this "Art unfrozen: a journey through Shanghai's cultural monuments" series, we will guide you through an immersive experience, varying from the museum's special architectural style and gift shops to its cafeteria or coffee shops in the museum's neighborhood.
Aiming to level up with the world's top museums such as the Pompidou Center in Paris, the Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, and the Tate in London, the art museums in Shanghai have been blossoming in the past decade.
Visiting museums has become a lifestyle choice, a kind of social activity or recreation. The charm of an art museum permeates every corner.
As well as the exhibitions inside, what else can visitors enjoy on a cozy weekend afternoon at a museum?
Get ready for your museum trip!
The architecture is designed by British design firm Foster+Partners and creative director Heatherwick Studio.
Fosun Foundation
Background:
Fosun Foundation (Shanghai) is a non-profit organization launched in 2016. It was supported by the Fosun Group and the Fosun Foundation.
The Fosun Foundation was established in November 2012 as the main humanitarian arm of the Fosun Group. In recent years, the Fosun Foundation has donated over 45 million yuan (US$6,2 billion) to support more than 40 social initiatives, primarily in the arts and education sectors.
Fosun Foundation (Shanghai)'s programming is characterized by contemporary, international, and highly interactive artworks. Apart from a discriminating array of exhibitions, the center also organizes a wide variety of educational programs.
Through these talks, forums, film screenings, workshops, and other public events, Fosun Foundation (Shanghai) offers its visitors many opportunities to engage closely with art.
Since its opening, a cluster of heavyweight exhibitions have won the museum's fame in the art community, including Julian Opie in 2017, Yayoi Kusama in 2019 and Alex Katz in 2020.
Today it is a must-see art destination among local art lovers.
Architecture Style
Located in the Bund Finance Center, the building houses four floors above ground and three below. It was designed by British design firm Foster+Partners and creative director Heatherwick Studio.
Inspired by traditional Chinese theatres, this three-story building has a curtain wall made of similar copper tubes.
The tubes are suspended over three floors, forming a hidden facade in front of the windows and balconies.
The architectural highlight is the facade – a golden, rotating bamboo curtain that hangs from the third floor. A visual element that combines East and West, it resembles both an ancient Chinese crown and a Western harp. For several hours each day, the screen rotates in time with music, a "dancing building" along the bund.
The Counter Sky Garden
The Counter Sky Garden is another highlight of Fosun Foundation (Shanghai).
Designed by renowned Japanese artist Tatsuo Miyajima, the Counter Sky Garden is an installation artwork on the fourth-floor rooftop.
The work comprises 300 LED light numbers counting down from nine to one at fixed speeds – some fast, some slow. The blinking numbers symbolize how different individuals have different personalities, radiating with the light of these many lives, The five different colors reflect different races and cultures.
The artist personally selected 300 Shanghai residents to choose the speed at which each numbered light would count down, a direct representation of how art is rooted in life. The Counter Sky Garden also serves as a platform through which Shanghai residents reveal what it means for different lives to coexist.
The outdoor terrace offers a panoramic view of the Huangpu River.
CLOUD Bistro applies dark gold and classic black as its background colors.
Cafeteria
Sited on the fourth floor of the building, CLOUD Bistro applies dark gold and classic black as its background colors. The flowing metal line structure creates the elegance of an art restaurant together with minimalist furniture.
The outdoor terrace offers a panoramic view of the Huangpu River.
CLOUD Bistro's self-developed new wine list features six specialty cocktails with flowers as the theme, offering a wide selection of drinks.
Visitors can drink and dine for a sensory collision of art and taste buds after viewing an exhibition.
Gift Shop
1. Fosun Foundation (Shanghai) Building Block Toys
The product adopts 424 parts in grey and white colors to show the classic charm of the building. When all the parts are assembled, "the dancing building" fused with Chinese and Western cultural elements, is presented in model form.
2. A pair of mugs in black and white
The mugs are the art derivatives of Thomas Heatherwick, the architect of the building who also held his exhibition there. It is said that the mug will take one to find the exit of one's soul in his emotional worlds.
3. Fridge sticker
The fridge stickers are inspired by Annie Morris's iconic sculptures. These irregular spheres that maintain a precarious balance are Morris's visual interpretation of "lost shapes" – they are the egg and the swollen belly of a pregnant woman. The fridge sticker transforms Morris's huge sculptures into small, portable magnets with rich colors.
If you go
Opening hours: 10am-6pm (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) ;10am-8pm (Thursday and Saturday); Closed on Mondays
Address: 600 Zhong Shan Rd E2 中山东2路600号
Admission: 100 yuan
