The Paper learned that the "7th Shanghai International Art Trade Week" will be held from November 13th to 17th. This trade week is themed "Global Art Venue, Art Shanghai, Art Life" and will host more than 100 art activities, covering art fairs, cultural relics and artwork auctions, galleries, art museums and other contents.
Among them, the 15th Shanghai Biennale will open on November 8; the gallery unit of the West Bund Art Fair will move from Hall A of the West Bund Art Center to the West Bund International Convention and Exhibition Center for the first time.
Press Conference of the 7th Shanghai International Art Trade Week
It is reported that since its establishment in 2019, the Shanghai International Art Trading Week has been successfully held for six sessions, bringing together more than 100 top art institutions every year and holding more than 100 art events, gradually forming a scale of tens of billions. It has now become the highly anticipated "Shanghai Time" in the global art trading market, and has effectively promoted Shanghai to become an important international art trading center.
Previous West Bund Art Fairs
Multiple art fairs bring together global perspectives
This year's art week will feature over 100 art events, including art fairs, antique and artwork auctions, galleries, and art museums. Key art fairs, including West Bund Art & Design, ART021, Shanghai Youth Art Fair, and the Shanghai International Art Book Fair, will feature a large number of exhibitors and a wide range of participation, attracting art institutions from China, Europe, America, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and other countries and regions.
Poster for the 12th West Bund Art Fair
This year's West Bund Art & Design Fair will span five venues: West Bund Art Center Hall A, the West Bund International Convention & Exhibition Center (which opened in August), the Dome Art Center, the West Bund Vortex Center, and the West Bund Dream Center Gate M DreamWorks. A total of 217 exhibitors will participate, with approximately 50% of them being international galleries. Twenty-nine galleries will be making their Shanghai debut. This is also the largest exhibition area ever.
The 12th West Bund Art Fair's five exhibition halls are linked together
The biggest change is that the traditional gallery unit has been moved from Hall A of the West Bund Art Center to the new International Convention and Exhibition Center. A total of 120 galleries are participating in the exhibition, many of which are visiting for the first time. The new venue will bring a brand new spatial experience and display effect.
The Gate M Dream Factory video section, themed "Place and Story," will present over 30 cutting-edge video works. It will also feature the Asian premiere of the Australian body art performance "Pendulum," one of the fair's key international collaborations and the first time a dance performance has been introduced to the West Bund Art Fair.
West Bund Art Fair introduces body art performance for the first time
The 13th ART021 Art Fair will welcome Southeast Asian galleries for the first time, establishing a new platform for cooperation and exchange along the Belt and Road Initiative. The fair will reportedly feature experimental projects and exhibitions of emerging artists from Russia, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, and other regions, integrating geographic culture with artistic integration and promoting cross-cultural dialogue.
Poster for the 13th ART021 Art Fair
This year's ART021 will also launch the ARTWALK urban art stroll project, continuing to promote the integration of art into public life and stimulate Shanghai's urban cultural vitality.
The 13th ART021 Art Fair was held at the Shanghai Exhibition Center
Two new international companies have been added to the cultural relics and artworks section of the consumer exhibition area of the 8th China International Import Expo. The participating regions cover Italy, Germany, Seychelles, etc. Christie's and Phillips auction houses will also appear on the same stage again, demonstrating the influence and appeal of Shanghai as an important international art trading center.
Shanghai Youth Art Expo poster
Exhibitions integrate with urban life to create an artistic landscape
The "2025 Autumn Shanghai Art Festival", held in conjunction with the trade week, will use art galleries across the city as the main venues for activities, extending to other venues and public spaces in the city. It will roll out activities in three major sections: "Trendy Art Museums", "Magic City Art Tours", and "Industry Open Mic". Led by major exhibitions such as the 15th Shanghai Biennale and the 18th Shanghai Youth Art Exhibition, it will hold ArtWalk city tours, launch the 2025 Shanghai Young Curator Development Plan, release the Art Museum Development Index, re-evaluate and evaluate the "New Art Space" in a new round, and hold the 2025 Art Museum Development Theme Day.
Among them, the 15th Shanghai Biennale will be held at the Power Station of Art from November 8, 2025 to March 31, 2026. The chief curator is Kitty Scott, and the theme is "Does the Flower Hear the Bee?"
Established in 1996, the Shanghai Biennale is China's oldest international contemporary art biennial and one of the most influential contemporary art events in Asia and globally. The 15th Shanghai Biennale aims to foster diverse and innovative sensory interactions between artworks, audiences, and the environment. The exhibition will explore the intersection of diverse modes of intelligence, integrating both human and non-human intelligence, drawing wisdom from both nature and culture.
Power Station of Art
In addition, the trading week promotes the in-depth integration of "art + business and travel", and with "Art West Bank", "Art Bund", "Art Suhe" and "Art Pudong" as the core, it creates a vibrant landmark for art consumption full of youthful energy and fashion.
"Art Bund" held the Art Bund 2025 Bund International Art Festival series of events, launched the "Art Bund Gallery Group Exhibition" with more than 60 exhibitions and activities from more than 30 art institutions, and specially presented the large-scale art exhibition "Dali×Old City Hall: Departure"; "Art Suhe" focused on the "double circle linkage" of the two core areas of Nanjing West Road and Suhe Bay, invited international art masters such as the Italian Centennial Ocarina Septet, global magic masters, overseas bands to go deep into the business district, and launched Andrew Grassi's "There is/ "Nothing", "Goodbye Blue and White Porcelain: Maritime Silk Road Immersive Experience Exhibition" and nearly 100 art exhibitions and cultural performances with rich content and international standards; "Art Pudong" is based on special venues such as Biyun Art Museum, Wu Changshuo Memorial Hall, and Nanzhige Art Center, and holds Shanghai culture and international contemporary art exhibitions. At the same time, it deepens cooperation with the Shanghai International Art Festival, bringing together the only touring project in mainland China and the Shanghai premiere project of world-class top art academies such as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Dresden State Orchestra, and Stuttgart Ballet.
West Bund Art Museum Boulevard related exhibitions.
Additionally, the China Shanghai International Art Festival's newly launched cross-disciplinary sub-brand, "ARTRA Customized Art," will debut during the trade week, integrating stage and visual arts, transforming performance, contemporary art, and technology into a new artistic language. The "Magnolia Selection" art tour, through the professional perspective of "Magnolia Selection Recommenders," will integrate galleries, art museums, art spaces, as well as dining, shopping, and accommodations across the city to recommend high-quality art tours that combine aesthetic value and cultural depth, leading residents and tourists to discover the artistic charm of Shanghai.
