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December 19, 2018

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Gallery facade stripped of stripes

A gallery on Yuyuan Road in a conservation area has gone through some remarkable transitions of late.

The facade of Fiu, jazzed up with a set of startling black and white stripes last month, returned to plain washed-out gray over the weekend.

The facade had been painted to coincide with a Camille Walala exhibition at the gallery.

“The exhibition opened to the public on November 18 and the building front was scheduled to be painted over again within a month,” said Liu Dong, co-founder of the gallery.

Liu said the gallery had no intention of altering the facade permanently.

Walala is known for her creative use of blocks of color in her paintings and installations. The exhibition, five screen prints and three pieces of pottery, will continue until January 27. It is the first time that Walala’s work has been exhibited in China.

“The paintings and pottery were created specifically for the exhibition,” said Yu Qinrun, another co-founder of the gallery.

Although the facade aroused some debate on social media, the gallery said they would prefer people to come and focus on the exhibition. “We don’t charge visitors admission because we want people living in the neighborhood to enjoy the beautiful colors,” said Yu.

Huang Zhiwei, responsible for renovation and cultural development of the road, said the plan for the facade had been temporary. “We have been trying to infuse modern elements into this old street,” he said, while confirming that it had been his decision to paint over the stripes.

Lou Chenghao, a local historical building expert, said direct paint on the facade itself was by no means “temporary.”

“A temporary alteration should be painted on something like a board,” Lou said. “But painting on the building, it’s vandalism.”

Last year, the road underwent a major renovation with illegal buildings being demolished. The gallery used to be Jiangsu Road police station and the facade was altered from a simple flat wall during the renovations.

According to an official from Jiangsu Road subdistrict, the facade of the gallery is part of the Yuyuan Road conservation area. Regulations on conservation areas and historic buildings forbid unauthorized painting of the building facade.

“A unique vibe of culture is embedded in the past and present of Yuyuan Road,” said Yu, recalling how, during a Fiu exhibition in October, local seniors came to share ideas on modern art with the artist in English.

Yuyuan Road will continue to integrate culture and public space. The Liu Haisu community art museum will open by the end of this month.

“Named after the painter, the museum will not just be a superior art gallery, but a public space allowing residents to participate in art,” said Huang.

After the Walala show, Fiu will host an exhibition by illustrator Lumao, also known as Oamul, featuring illustrations of nature and plants.

The exhibition is scheduled to begin on March 2.




 

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