Honoring one of district's most important cultural heritages

Ti Gong

More than 80 Songjiang silkscreen block prints and prints of different varieties are on display at the district's Yunjian Art Hall, offering visitors a visual feast this autumn.

Participants in the exhibition, "A Stardom Toward Mass Art Popularization," include renowned print artists and Songjiang Mass Art Prize laureates.

"Songjiang silkscreen block print, originally a farmers' painting, now has gained increasing popularity with the masses. More print artists are winning the district's Mass Art Prize, showing the sound development of this local art," said Lu Yongqing, curator of the exhibition.

The local art developed in the mid-1980s and reached its peak in the early 1990s. As the country switched from a planned to market-oriented economy in the 1990s, many print artists quit farming and found jobs with businesses.

Ti Gong

"Since the establishment of the printmaking academy in 2012, we gathered our farmer artists together and encouraged them to both respect tradition and create personal diversity," Lu said. "They have become stars of the trade, promoting a cultural icon through practice and coaching disabled people, students and young artists."

Along with the first generation of silkscreen block print pioneers, they are the wheels that lead the advancement of the art form.

Ge Xusheng, a resident of Songjiang's Zhongshan Subdistrict, said he visited the venue soon after he learned it reopened amid the waning of the pandemic.

"It's a pleasant journey to learn about an important cultural heritage of Songjiang," said Ge.

The exhibition runs until November 1 and dozens of interactive activities, including canvas-bag printmaking and free lectures about silkscreen block prints, will be on offer.

People can make reservations through the WeChat account of "Humanistic Songjiang" ("人文松江").

Dates: Through November 1

Admission: Free

Venue: No. 2 Exhibition Hall, Yunjian Art Hall

Address: 69, Lane 6, Renmin Rd S.

松江区人民南路6弄69号