ShContemporary

ShContemporary is an enormous event with over 150 galleries spread out over two floors of the Shanghai Exhibition Center, a really wacked out Soviet-era building. It had works inside and outside including this Zhang Wan stainless steel boulder in the fountain in front. New York dealers really came in force this year, including Jack Tilton, Max Protetch, Lehmann Maupin, Pace, and James Cohan. Balancing their western stables against Chinese tastes, they brought more Asian art this year, since the sales were flat last year when they stuck to their usual artists.

The fair was also packed with dealers from Southeast Asia, Korea, Taiwan, and other places that I didn't even know had galleries. One dealer, J. Ariadbitya Pramichadra from Indonesia was doing great with an artist Agus Suwage who was showing 50 watercolors all based on images by New York art stars--ironically the most US looking booth at the fair. I saw a couple approach him, offering $60,000 for the entire set "for a small museum," to which the dealer demurred, "I have several museums already interested in the work.
This fair was difficult to negotiate, especially in the four hours I had to cover the whole thing. I wish I could say it was impressive, but it still seems that dealers in Asia and dealers coming to Asia don't bring their best material. They haven't caught on to the Basel strategy of offering only the top stuff at fairs, instead bringing out inventory that might not be worthy of a gallery show.