BREAKING NEWS! The French President Emmanuel Macron not only visited Shanghai to discuss trade and climate agreements, he also inaugurated the first branch outside Europe of the Centre Pompidou. Cocorico!

Centre Pompidou x West Bund Museum Project

This project which is called Centre Pompidou x West Bund Museum is a partnership between the West Bund Group in Shanghai and the Center Pompidou in Paris, for 5 years when this museum will propose 3 exhibitions of 18 months and 10 exhibitions of 6 months.

Located near the river of Huang Pu in the area of Xuhui, the building has been created by the architect David Chipperfield. Composed of 3 levels, the museum offers a nice view on the river and the city. The location of the museum is not insignificant. Indeed, the West Bund is a part of the city that wants to be more and more attractive. This district has been included in Shanghai’s master plan by 2035 as a high-quality public space in the city center offering innovation, creativity, culture and other essential functions of a global metropolis.

View from the Centre Pompidou x West Bund Museum

Centre Pompidou x West Bund Museum: 2 exhibitions

Observations – permanent exhibition

Observations, the first exhibition of this museum is organized in 6 chapters, On / Off, Monitoring the Self, Time Suspended, Public Intimacy, Machine Visions, Data and noise. The 15 artists invite us to discover the evolution of the image from the beginning of the video to the digital image. Here, no tables but mainly video extracts that allow us to pay attention to the details of the images. Observations calls on our attention and perception. We can also note that the Chinese public is very interested in the discoveries and visual experiences.

Mapping The Studio II with color shift, flip, flop&flip/flop – Bruce Nauman

My favorite work was the one of Rineke Dijkstra, I see a Woman Crying (Weeping Woman) Tate Liverpool where we can see some students in the museum commenting a work of Picasso and trying to explain what they see. The way the scene is filmed, and the children’s comments and observations make this work very moving.

The Shape of Time – Temporary exhibition

Organized in 2 main parts with 11 chapters, the Shape of Time is available until the 9th of May 2021. It proposes a vision of the conception and representations of time with more than 100 works from 1905 to the present. Miro, Picasso, Kandinsky and others propose their own representation of time through their work.

In the 1st part of the exhibition, the artists reflect time through mainly the modern French society that is emerging in the industrial era. This part is composed of 7 chapters which are Modern Times, Rhythm and Resonance, Night for Day, Writing the Self, Passages, Balancing Acts and Eye and Body in Motion. Some movements are highlighted such as Cubism, Surrealism or Expressionism.

The second part is composed of 4 chapters: Matter and Memory, Nature at Work, Exposures and Shifting States. This part invites us to rethink our relationship to history. It begins in 1960, when new ways of consumerism appeared in Europe, then in 1980, with the presence of new media and finally in 2000, the new millennium, where artists reflect how the globalization and post colonialism have affected cultural dialogues.

In the corridor, we can see some French but especially many Chinese, some passionate about culture, some curious to discover this new museum.

Auditorium, The Box, Creative Gallery

As I write these lines, the lower level of the museum is not finished yet. Indeed, an auditorium and workshops will open their doors soon. For now, a children’s playground and “The Box” room are open to the public. In this “Box” we are immersed in a room to live a musical and sonic experience.

Finally, I would like to say that I liked to visit this museum to compared with the ones in France. I enjoyed discovering new artworks, however I found the price a little bit too expensive.

Practical information

Hours: Opening Hours 10:00-17:00
 Admission close at 16:00
Closed on Monday
Subway Station: YunJin Road Station
Website: www.wbmshanghai.com
Prices:
Weekdays: Semi-Permanent + Temporary 150 Yuan / Weekends & Holidays: Semi-Permanent + Temporary 170 Yuan

If you like contemporary art, I advise you to sign up for the Shanghai Biennale!

Credits cover picture : ©The Architect’s Newspaper