“Through this event, we hope to create opportunities for them to stay longer and contribute to Shenzhen’s art ecosystem.”
AWSZ was launched by China Commerce and Industry Shekou Industrial Zone, a state-owned enterprise supporting SWCAC. The center is attracting new galleries and has surpassed his once-dominant OCT Loft in popularity. The event reflects the center’s growing prominence in the city’s art scene.
“It’s exactly the ‘speed of Shenzhen,'” Zhou says of the idea for Art Week, which he just came up with in January. “Initially, we only expected about 20 galleries and organizations to participate.” That number has doubled, with 95% of them from Shenzhen, and new additions are still being confirmed.
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Deng Xiangshan, founder of Mangrove Gallery in Shenzhen, joins the chorus of voices supporting Shenzhen Art Week. His decision to participate comes not only from his personal friendship with Zhou, but also from his belief in the potential impact of this event.
“I have experience with art weeks in other cities, and I believe it is important to hold an event like this in Shenzhen,” he says. “This young and imaginative city with a nascent contemporary art scene needs an event-driven voice, especially during Art Basel in Hong Kong.”
During AWSZ, Mangrove Gallery will host a solo exhibition by performance artist Li Bingyuan, his largest exhibition in over three years.
Prominent local galleries such as Kenna Xu Gallery, BA Project, and Gallery MC are also planning joint programs with prominent institutions such as Pingshan Art Museum, OCAT, and Guangdong Period Museum.
The highlight of the event will be a solo exhibition by renowned artists Liang Shaoji and Xu Zhen, which will be exhibited at SWCAC’s main gallery and the new Shenzhen Art Museum venue, respectively.
The event is divided into two parts. While SWCAC will play a central role with approximately 10 exhibitions and galas within the complex, it will be through the independent efforts of participating galleries that the city’s artistic energy will truly come to life.
Each gallery will plan its own opening event and dinner. Additionally, a series of talks and film screenings will be held, creating a rich tapestry of artistic experiences across Shenzhen.
To enhance the visitor experience and foster connections with the city’s art scene, organizers will produce an art map guide and a dedicated magazine. These will not only plan all exhibitions and activities, but also provide “a basic understanding of the current situation of art institutions in Shenzhen,” Zhou promises.
Final details will be provided later on the organizer’s official WeChat account “Art Week Shenzhen”.
A wealthy tech hub with a population of over 17 million people, Shenzhen has a nascent arts ecosystem in flux.
Shenzhen Art, a long-running government-sponsored art fair, has been postponed from September to December this year. DnA, the Shenzhen private fair founded in 2021 by the company that operates Shanghai’s 021 fair, is rumored to be moving to Hong Kong.
“We believe this event can foster an artistic ecology by promoting diverse engagement with art,” says Zhou. “I want to bring people closer to art in various ways, like a blood supply.”
This commitment is further strengthened by the fact that there is no participation fee for participating galleries.
AWSZ’s strategic timing and non-profit ethos position it to potentially make a significant impact, but budget constraints and short lead times create obstacles that can hinder success. Mr. Chou declines to disclose the funding he receives from China Merchants, although he admits it is significantly less than other art weeks’ budgets.
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These constraints are evident in the absence of free shuttle buses available to both collectors and the public to easily travel between galleries and established art institutions.
Additionally, there are no highly selective sales platforms like AWT Focus in Tokyo, Japan or SEA Focus in Singapore.
The new art week will prioritize the health of the art ecosystem over commerce, Zhou said.
“The current economic climate requires going beyond trade.”