Steel manufacturing has played an important role in the development of Shanghai as a metropolis, meanwhile leaving behind used industrial zones in need of transformation. One such old steel mill in
An exhibition now on at China Art Museum pays tribute to the history of steel making in Shanghai, how the industry has shaped the city and how the industrial relics will be given a different life with the introduction of art.
The exhibition running through Feb 24 shows selected paintings from the 1950s and '60s, in the collection of China Art Museum, which depicted the booming scenes of steelworks in the style of socialist realism. It also shows works by teachers from art academies across the country that present distinctive explorations with the themes of steel, industrialization and urbanization.
The exhibition is the second installation of the kind under Wind Over the Sea, a project launched by Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts two years ago to address the past and present of Shanghai. There are also lectures, forums and public art program to discuss the integration of industrial heritage and art in reinvigorating communities.
