Shanghai Daily news

The Shanghai Biennale, China's boldest contemporary art show, opened yesterday at the Shanghai Art Museum.
The two-month event has attracted nearly 130 local and international artists.
As if to echo the theme of this year's biennale "Techniques of the Visible," a ladder covered with televisions is set outside the entrance gate to the museum. Inside, videos, photographs, and multi-media installations have filled the exhibition halls.
This year, 50 percent of the participating artists are from overseas and this is the first time that four projects have been created specifically for the biennale, including a detailed survey of traditional paper-cutting in Shanxi Province.
Big names in contemporary art include Yoko Ono, widow of John Lennon of the Beatles, Stan Douglas, Jeff Wall and Bill Viola have their works exhibited. But unfortunately, these heavyweight names couldn't attend the event for either health or scheduling reasons.
Through films, photography, video works, installations and performances, the artists try to interpret the close links of art, science and technology.
In addition to the digitally based art, there will also be shadow plays, paintings and sculptures examining the independent nature of art and technology.
"We expect to receive 1,000 to 2,000 guests on the opening day. Many people are interested," said Yang Xiaming, a museum employee.
Established in 2000, the biennale is held every two year, and is considered a big event inside the art community.
"We want to show that contemporary art is not something far away from ordinary life and people," said Gao Shiming, a curator of the museum. "In fact, it is tangible in our environment."