Cafegirl.org

Art Vomit

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 23:43:57 +0000

Moganshan Road is perhaps the most internationally recognized art district in Shanghai. Nestled in old, converted warehouses and backdropped against dusty sky-rise apartments, these subtly but highly commercialized art galleries on Moganshan attract backpackers, hipsters, and lifestyle enthusiasts from all around the world.

It reads, “Cola”.

I love things that look like they came from the Communist era. Too bad this one isn’t true vintage memorabilia.

I was so excited to stumble upon this exhibit with Takashi Murakami’s prints, among those of two other contemporary Japanese artists. Like most, I discovered his work when it was first associated with Louis Vuitton’s monogram bags, and I also had the incredible opportunity to see a room full of Murakami at the Tate Modern “Poplife” exhibit in London this past January. Murakami, raw fish, matcha, tea ceremonies, street festivals, lanterns, fashion, and the need to be surrounded by things that give off pure aesthetic and functional value are the reasons I love Japanese culture. I’m so excited about the prospect of visiting Tokyo again next winter!

“Kaikai Kiki and I”… I love those cherry blossoms!

“Kaikai Kiki be Happy”

“Mamu came from the sky”

“Planet 66″

“30 years of watermelon vines”

South Beauty

admin — Wed, 19 May 2010 15:42:43 +0000

The upscale Xintiandi venue in which we held our high school Prom 4 years ago was then occupied by a French-Mediterranean Bistro that soon-after ran out of business. It was snatched up by South Beauty, a popular high-end Sichuan restaurant. I’ve been curious to try it for years and was excited to discover today that the food is not only delicious but also very playfully presented.

Lotus stuffed with sticky rice, served chilled with sweet, honey-like sauce

This dish is called “Putting Up the Laundry to Dry”. The strip of pork is layered with the spicy ginger/garlic sauce and wrapped around the shredded carrot and radish.

Pan-seared bao zi, sesame-side down.

Dan dan noodles, spicy with a subtle nutty flavor from the sesame paste.

Urban Development

admin — Sun, 16 May 2010 16:00:44 +0000

Again, at Jin An Park, you see the typical fusion of traditional and modern. Shanghai definitely gives off an “east meets west” sort of vibe.

At the Bund

We visited 18Gallery, which is at Bund 18. The current exhibit Artificial Wonderland displays the work of Yang Yongliang, whose prints I actually saw in London last Saturday. The British Museum opened an exhibit on May 6, Printed Images of China, that included two prints of most characteristic of Yang Yongliang’s style — overlaying a collage of urban elements on top of calligraphic representations of The Yellow Mountains. I was pleasantly surprised to find this colossal installation entitled “Cement Dragon”.

Very bold move, Dior. I like it.

View of Pudong from Three on the Bund’s Shanghai Gallery of Art.

Hermés Gallops into Shanghai

Are we in Tokyo?

Or are we in Paris?

Shanghai World Expo

admin — Fri, 14 May 2010 15:47:29 +0000

Today my mom and I visited the World Expo and it was packed! There was said to be 210,000 people there that day. My feet were so tired and I was aching everywhere by the end of the day.

Nepal Pavilion

Saudi Arabia Pavilion

India Pavilion

Saudi Arabia Pavilion… we stood in line for almost 6 hours. Definitely don’t need to do that again for anything else in my lifetime.

China Pavilion

Thailand Pavilion

Modern Art and Vintage Jewelry

admin — Thu, 13 May 2010 15:42:34 +0000

One of the reasons I love Shanghai is that it has such an exciting art scene. The city itself is an elegant fusion of tradition and modernity, creating a dynamic experience for all of your senses.

Today I wandered over to the Shanghai Art Museum to check out a special exhibit celebrating 100 years of Chinese presence overseas (and the consequential globalization and multiculturalism in Shanghai and the rest of China). Here are some of my favorite pieces from the exhibit:

Then I met up with my mom and we went to my favorite place in all of Shanghai, Tian Zi Fang. It’s a relatively recently booming art district that is home to many art and photography studios and handicraft and vintage jewelry boutiques.

This is the door handle to a boutique that had some amazing vintage silver jewelry. I can’t wait to go back!

Every time I visit Tian Zi Fang, I make a stop at this place to pick something out for my room. It’s a very reasonably priced boutique called Roger & Guy. I once got a red glass lantern, and this time I bought an elaborate enamel lady bug that holds trinkets underneath many openings.