Art season kicks off in iconic downtown area

The 2022 RanRan Art Season kicked off in the landmark area of Xintiandi in downtown Shanghai on Dec 3, with a series of exhibitions and public events, which will run through Feb 5, 2023.

It was jointly presented by the area and art institution UCCA.

The Xintiandi community has been a center of fashion lifestyle and commerce in the city over the past two decades.

In August, the place's operator Shui On Xintiandi announced the collaboration with UCCA to start the three-year RanRan project that nurtures and supports young contemporary artists through a series of competitions, residency programs, art seasons and cross-over collaborations.

The art season is presenting the fruits of the project — RanRan: Songs of the Return — showcasing more than 50 artworks, created by 23 artists, in the outdoor public spaces of the area.

It has hosted events themed "created in China" over the years, and held a variety of campaigns and scholarship programs to provide support for young artists, according to Zhang Bin, CEO of the area's developer and operator.

"We hope the project can provide a long and sustainable platform for young artists to exhibit and communicate with the public, and with our joint efforts, we will help them to access more international resources and 'fly higher and farther'," he says.

Toward that purpose, 11 renowned artists, scholars and industry leaders were invited to form the jury panel for this year's RanRan Young Artist Prize. Three winners are Yang Mushi, Tan Quanquan and Xin Yunpeng.