Making use of art
Shirlene Gu (left) and Fiona Li, both iDEALShanghai guiders, pose in one of the 10 selfie studios.
Have you ever thought about integrating art elements into your daily life?
Recently, 450 art derivative products designed by 26 designers inspired by 10 artists’ works were put on display at YUESHANGRI. It is a crossover art space in a shopping mall in Hongqiao area, demonstrating creative jewelry, cultural products and housewares based on young artists’ works.
This “QingYi-ZaiZao” art derivative project, which literally means “remade young art,” was launched by YUESHANGRI and the Shanghai Young Art Fair. Instead of one series of products for one single exhibition, the development of artistic intellectual property rights and brand-building for the products are the key words of the “QingYi-ZaiZao” art derivative project.
To help designers and artists build their art derivative brands, the Shanghai Young Art Fair selected young artists and their works, while the YUESHANGRI chose designers to design the products inspired by the art works, then find factories to make samples. After the selection of professional buyers, the products will go on display for sale and ordering.
Art derivative products are not a new concept, according to the Shanghai Young Art Fair. The Centre Pompidou in France, which had only 30 art derivative products in 2007, now has more than 600.
And they account for a third of the center’s turnover.
In China, the Palace Museum authorized more than 5,000 derivative products for sale in 2013, with sales of 600 million yuan (US$87.3 million).
In 2014, sales exceeded 900 million yuan and passed 1 billion the following year.
The Shanghai Young Art Fair has recruited more than 20,000 young artists since its establishment in 2015, and the number of their derivative products is more than 100,000 — 90 percent priced at less than 5,000 yuan. Total estimated sales are 35 million yuan.
“We have combined artistic elements, fashion designs and products to make the new art derivative products, every product is authorized by the artist, and we hope to promote the development of copyright registration in China,” said Wang Fang, executive director of Shanghai Young Art Fair.
iDEALShanghai recommends some other interesting places at YUESHANGRI:
There are 450 art derivative products designed by 26 designers at YUESHANGRI.
Crystal Palace Arts Bookstore
When a bookstore and art are combined, you may find more fun inside. The Crystal Palace Arts Bookstore not only sells books, but also provides a place for dinner or tea time with books. The 26-meter-high all-glass building covers 3,000 square meters and carries thousands of art books. In the daytime, the sunshine from the glass ceiling makes the place even more awesome for taking photos.
For movie fans, a ten-day Shanghai Film Theme Art Exhibition concluded at Crystal Palace Arts Bookstore today, with lots of movie posters from the 1930s on display. There is also a Xinguang Cinema scene from the 1930s, which was the first theater to screen China’s first-ever sound film, “Sing-Song Red Peony.” An old projector is still working, and you can try rolling it to show a black-and-white film.
The interiors of Crystal Palace Arts Bookstore
Wei Delicious Lab
Have you ever tasted a piece of art derivative cake? In the Wei Delicious Lab, the dessert chef makes a series of desserts inspired by the paintings of Claude Monet.
Different kinds of flower-shaped cakes constitute an edible “Jardin Monet,” with the flowers inside Jardin Monet, including water lilies, pink carnations, sunflowers, roses and white daisies, and edible dried flowers as cookies.
There is also a special durian cake on the menu. It looks like a real half durian, with a mousse base and fresh durian on the top, sweet but not greasy.
The special drinks with attractive colors are perfect for taking photos to share on your Instagram. The most popular one is Flower Lemon Soda, with pink petals at the bottom of the bottle, rosemary and lemon slices drifting inside. Looks better than it tastes.
Various art derivative desserts in Wei Delicious Lab
Art derivative desserts in Wei Delicious Lab
A plate of dessert at Wei Delicious Lab
10 Selfie Studios
There are 10 selfie studios designed for taking photos at YUESHANGRI, promoting the new lifestyle of the young generation. Each studio has a special theme, all of which come from the artists and designers themselves. Visitors are welcome to take selfies to post online.
We took photos in three of them: an art-studio-themed one with plaster models and palettes inside, featuring twisting walls, making your photos seem distorted; a banana-themed studio with lots of slogans inside, such as “today’s look is gorgeous as usual.” Bananas are hung in the air and piled up in a shopping cart, making the scene quite amusing. Lastly we visited a pink lawn with clouds and camps, a great place for parents and children to take photos.
One of the 10 selfie studios for visitors to take selfies
