Shanghai dream 上海梦

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About Shanghai dream 上海梦

As a Shanghainese in Europe, it was natural and part of myself, that my art would continue to have Shanghainese themes in it. Especially as the increased distance in time and space from the town where I grew up made me reappreciate the beauty of Shanghai. When I lived there as a child, one of my strongest impressions was walking through the elegant French area, looking at the European style buildings from the thirties, and wondering about the stories behind them. When I left Shanghai, the city was rapidly changing into just another modern metropole, and I thought my feelings for this city would diminish quickly. However, from the distance of Europe I found out that you can never forget the feelings for your home town, be they good or bad. I have the feeling I only now fully understand Shanghai, and that it will always be alive in me. In Europe, I am finally able to turn these strong inner feelings about Shanghai into my art.

In the past, Shanghai was called the Paris of the Orient. For Paris, the important word here is Orient, for Shanghai the important word here is Paris. Both elegant cities, fashion capitals, with high lifestyle, always like being on a stage. Both cities in which the people have to face the real life problems, still have their dreams, but have the typical large-city mentality of keeping a distance. Both cities in which people grow up in a city culture. They see pictures of the sea long before they actually see the sea, they read about love before experiencing love. The real experience always follows the imagined one. In this sense, there is very little difference between East and West.

http://www.lu-art.com/ShanghaiExpressionismArtistView.html