Ripple Effect

> Gao Lei, Water. Metal Sculpture.

Art is like the guest of honor at a family dinner -- everyone's happy to have it around, but once it's gone, belts loosen and everyone can be themselves again. At least that's how it feels in Shanghai, where marketing departments rent out galleries as backdrops for client luncheons or press releases. If Shanghai's commerce is an adolescent version of New York City's, its art scene is a fetus in its 2nd trimester.

But there's good news and then there's better news. The good news is, we can just start making out the features. Two years ago, M50 was the hub for contemporary art. But new galleries are no longer opening at the government-managed site. Instead, gallerists have been choosing to open spaces in the Old French Concession. This is the first sign of organic growth vital to a sustainable art scene.

The better news is that while the international art market is crashing down on its knees, Shanghai has a chance to catch up. A crippled economy means that Chinese artists will be forced to walk without the crutches of foreign collectors and auction houses to oversee their progress. Artists that benefitted from the boom now have enough money to start their own art funds or studio projects to support emerging artists. We should be able to see the artists themselves influencing how and what art is produced.