The San Pablo Arts District Fund (SPAD), in conjunction with Shanghai based art critic Liu Congyun, is pleased to present rotating video selections by six Shanghai artists: Zhou Hongxiang, Lu Chunshen, Zhang Qing, Tang Maohong, Maleonn, and Zhou Ming. A collection of fourteen videos will be shown over the next few months, unveiling a vibrant scene of artists’ practices in Shanghai rarely seen in the U.S.

The series kicks of this Friday, December 10th, at 6 p.m., with Zhou Hongxiang screening three of his works: Water 1, A Puff of Wind, and The Cornland.

A new artist will be featured every two weeks.

SPAD is dedicated to promoting art while facilitating urban development in the Golden Gate District in North Oakland. Converting abandoned storefronts in long-neglected neighborhoods into functional, alternative art galleries, SPAD confronts inner-city blight and strengthens community relations, while showcasing cutting-edge art.

“We are fortunate to have Liu as curator, assembling such a strong body of work from leading Chinese contemporary artists” exclaims SPAD Executive Director Idan Levin, adding, “Rotating Shanghai demonstrates the cultural exchange that SPAD aims to promote in North Oakland”

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Best known for his conceptual film and new media art, Zhou Hongxiang was once called “the Chinese Godard.” Zhou favors the poetic over the political, infusing his work with lightness and levity. He has exhibited at the Head of New Media Arts, Watermans, UK, Anthology Film Archive, New York, and the Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art.

A video artist and photographer, Lu Chunsheng has been showcased at London’s Red Mansion Foundation and the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin. Fusing sincerity with humor, his work consistently blurs the line between documentary and fiction. Works featured at “Rotating Shanghai” will include Where Are the Bachelors? The Cough-able Curve,and The Square Loaded with Nuclear Power is Going to America.

Perhaps best known for his animated film Orchid Finger (2005), which draws upon traditional Chinese paintings and contemporary popular culture, Tang Maohong has exhibited at the 7th Shanghai Biennale 2008, the Museum of Modern Art Ludwig Foundation in Vienna, and the ZDM Center in Karlsruhe, Germany. His films will include Orchid Finger, Sunday, and On the Way.

Winner of Honorable Mention at the Chinese Contemporary Art Awards in 2004, Zhang Qing has been a key member of Shanghai’s new media art arena for the last a decade. His solo exhibition “Don’t Go So Fast” was featured at ShanghART in Beijing, 2009. Here, he shares three recent works: 603 Football Field, Don’t Be Bad, and Integrated.

Known for his staging photography, Maleonn has exhibited at Bejle Kunst Museum in Denmark, the Santa Fe Photography Center, and the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago, among others. His new video work, White on White, continues his distinct style, which simultaneously broaches the nostalgic and the satirical.

Zhou Ming received his BA in Oil Painting from the Art College of Shanghai University in 2002. His work, which encompasses oils, performance installation, and animation, explores the human psyche as it relates to the natural world. He has been featured at the BizArt Art Center Shanghai, MOCA Shanghai, Nanjing Museum, and the Duolun Art Museum in Shanghai. For “Rotating Shanghai,” he will present The Migraine.