Children play with sculptures displayed in the Jing'an Sculpture Park.

"Ever Time Gate," by Juan Garaizabal from Spain.

Art can be anything around us and it’s an organic part of the city, artists and architects said at a forum held during the 2020 Jing'an International Sculpture Project.

Held under the theme of "Reshaping Space," they shared their views on how to combine public art and urban renewal, so as to improve the urban landscape and enhance cultural confidence at the festival's Public Art Conference.

Public art shapes a city's appearance, said Shanghai-born artist Liang Shaoji.

His new work "Moon Bay,” made from exhaust pipes in the style of a trumpet shell, is now being displayed beside the Shanghai Natural History Museum at the Jing’an Sculpture Park.

He said he wants to show how an industrial product can end up as an organic life form, finally returning to the natural world. The work also reflects his understanding of how human activities affect the natural world.

Artist Matt Hope from the UK proposed that what we neglect in our lives, such as scaffolds erected on roadsides, can become art installations. Art and reality gets blurred, and a city itself can be a huge piece of artwork, according to him.

Dong Yu, director of the Jing’an Urban Planning and Natural Resources Bureau, said public art offers unlimited possibilities for urban spaces, and authorities are exploring how to bring public art into communities.