Editor’s Note
Next month, the global art market’s spotlight turns to Shanghai as the city hosts its sixth International Artwork Trade Week. From November 7–11, five major art fairs and hundreds of events will unfold, marking a significant moment for collectors, galleries, and art enthusiasts worldwide.
Next month, the global art market will enter “Shanghai time.” The 6th Shanghai International Artwork Trade Week is scheduled to be held from November 7 to 11, 2024. Five major art fairs will launch simultaneously, with hundreds of art activities to be held during the week.
The five major art fairs are the West Bund Art & Design, ART021 Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair, Shanghai Young Art Fair, One Art Fair (Online Art and Design Fair), and the Shanghai International Art Book Fair. Among them, the 11th West Bund Art & Design will welcome 170 top domestic and international galleries and art institutions from 23 countries and regions across 49 cities. With participation from several of the world’s top ten galleries, this edition is set to be the largest in terms of geographical scope, scale, and value since its inception.
The 12th ART021 Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair will feature 125 participating galleries and special projects from 20 countries and regions across 43 cities. It will continue to maintain around 20% of new exhibitors, with 24 galleries making their debut this year. The 10th Shanghai Young Art Fair will bring works from over 150 young artists and will launch the Young Curator Program for the first time. The 2nd Shanghai International Art Book Fair will present five major exhibition areas, including Domestic Publishing, International Publishing, Global Museum Stores, Professional Academy, and Art Institutions, through “Main Exhibition” and “Special Exhibition” formats.
The 9th Shanghai Dialogue High-Level Forum, to be held on November 8, will be deeply linked with the 2nd Shanghai International Art Book Fair, aiming to build a high-end exchange platform for the global cultural industry.
Notably, the 7th “Jinbo” (Art Treasures) Fair’s Cultural Relics and Artworks Zone will further expand this year, with an exhibition area reaching 2,500 square meters. Among the 12 participating enterprises are long-term partners like the world-renowned auction houses Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and the jewelry brand V Muse. Renowned domestic galleries and institutions such as Chang Qing Gallery, Glocal Art Project SA, and Hong Kong’s Eastern Auction will participate for the first time.
Another key feature of this year’s Shanghai International Artwork Trade Week is the strengthened integration of art with commercial entities, opening new scenes and business models for cultural consumption. Among these, “Art West Bund” will host “Shanghai Trends & Art Fairs × FISE World Cup of Extreme Sports · Shanghai Stop,” creating a city-level youth carnival integrating trendy art and extreme sports. It will continue the “West Bund ART WEEK” series, comprehensively combining digital light shows, artworks, city music, sports entertainment, and game exhibitions to fully link cultural art with industry and consumption.
“Art Waitan” will host the “Art Waitan 2024 Waitan International Art Festival,” covering 34 art venues and 57 exhibition activities in the Waitan area, gathering rooftop art, fashion art, digital art, and celebrity IP exhibitions. It will also hold the first “Art Waitan Rooftop Art Camp,” linking six major river-view rooftops in the Waitan area with supporting retail, dining, exhibitions, and other rooftop consumption activities related to art and culture. Xintiandi Fashion will launch the 2024 “Spark” Art Camp, providing citizens and tourists with artistic interactive experiences for walking and lingering in urban spaces.
“Art Suhe” will host “Art Suhe 2024,” linking the historical and cultural heritage of Suhe Creek. Through diverse forms like art exhibitions, drama flash mobs, outdoor concerts, and corporate sand sculptures, it will collaborate with departments and social resources such as North Bund Street, art institutions, and business districts to jointly create cultural events, trigger online dissemination, create internet-famous city landmarks, introduce event traffic, and empower regional economic development.
Within the “Art Pudong” area, the Lujiazui Center will host a series of “Wonderful” themed activities including outdoor music concerts, outdoor parties, art workshops, and art exhibitions. The Qian Tan area will host events like “2024 Qian Tan Taikoo Li Let’s Art Well Art Camp,” “Qian Tan Outdoor Lifestyle Festival,” “Qian Tan Park Run ‘Comic Park Run • South French Flower Garden’,” and “Xiaobang Kan Da Xi” (Little Bang Watching Big Drama) Qian Tan Friendly Neighborhood Parent-Child Drama Week and “NEW BUND IDOL Qian Tan Good Neighbor Music Camp.”
This Trade Week will focus on exploring the frontiers of digital art, hosting the “2024 Shanghai International Digital Music Week.” It will launch events like the Global Game Music Composition Competition, cross-border music performances, the Digital Music High-Level Forum, and music technology activity exhibitions in the Hengfu Music Block. In conjunction with “Art Waitan 2024 Waitan International Art Festival,” it will launch the AI “Voice of Art Waitan” and “AR Art Map” and “AR Art Installation.” It will create the virtual space exhibition “Art Spirit Realm” for the Young Art Fair. In conjunction with the “Suhe Art Camp,” it will launch the “Three-Dimensional Art Plan” and host the global premiere of the “First Glimpse of Civilization” three-dimensional contemporary art exhibition. Through the integration of art and technology, it aims to bring new artistic perceptions that transcend reality and virtuality, reshaping the forms of artistic experience.
Since its inception in 2019, the Trade Week has been held five times. Each year, it brings together hundreds of art institutions and hosts over a hundred art events, gradually forming a scale of billions of yuan. It has effectively promoted Shanghai’s development as an important international center for artwork trading.
