Street Signs: Longteng Avenue

Spotlight On:

Longteng Avenue

Districts: Xuhui

Cross-Streets: Ruining Road, Longlan Road
Nearest Metro Station: Middle Longhua Road Line 7, Yunjin Road Line 11

Boasting a slew of art galleries, museums and cultural institutions, Longteng Avenue drives home the point that there is no shortage of artistic and cultural offerings in Shanghai. Fronting the Huangpu River on the Puxi side of the city, this stretch is being dubbed as a Cultural Corridor; a worthy destination for seeking out inspiring exhibitions from both local and international artists. World-renowned museums share the avenue with smaller gallery spaces, making it a veritable hub for painting, photography, installation art, and everything that falls in between.

1. Tank Shanghai’s name makes sense once it comes into view. Originally part of Shanghai Longhua Airport, the museum comprises five tanks, with three interconnected tanks as dedicated exhibition spaces and the two remaining ones used for supporting functions. The domed areas have welcomed works by international and local contemporary artists, including Vivien Zhang, teamLab, Gao Weigang and Cyprien Gaillard and more, spanning genres of art, multimedia, and film. 2380 Longteng Avenue; Tue - Sun, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

2. Long Museum is a private art museum featuring the impressive collection of husband and wife art connoisseurs Mr Liu Yiqian and Mrs Wang Wei. The Long Museum has established itself as one of the city’s finest private art museums since its opening in March 2014. It’s worthy of a day’s visit, not just for the diverse selection of revolutionary, traditional Chinese and contemporary art pieces spread across the 16,000 sqm exhibition space, but also to bask in its imposing umbrella-vaulted architecture designed by Atelier Deshaus architect Liu Yi-Chun. 3398 Longteng Avenue; Tue - Sun, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

3. An exhibition hall designed by Sir David Chipperfield, the West Bund Museum spans a dizzying 20,000 sqm. Known for its collaboration with France’s Centre Pompidou, it is home to the Centre Pompidou x West Bund Museum Project which explores and strengthens the cultural exchange between China and foreign cultures. A curated programme in the form of museum exhibits, seminars, performing arts and educational activities take place within its walls. Head over to take in the semi-permanent exhibition (on until 2023) featuring emblematic works from the heavy hitters of the avant garde and contemporary art scene: Pablo Picasso, Fernand Léger, Haegue Yang, Tatiana Trouvé and more; and when you’ve done the rounds, check out the equally engaging temporary exhibits. 2600 Longteng Avenue; Tue - Sun, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

4. Just like TANK, the Yuz Museum also features a vestige of the former Shanghai Longhua Airport: a 3,000 sqm hangar that makes up a huge chunk of the entire 9,000 sqm museum. Dedicated to promoting understanding and appreciation for contemporary art, Yuz Museum curates a roster of exciting art events, educational talks, art workshops and large-scale installations all year long. 35 Fenggu Road, by Longteng Avenue; Tue-Sun, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

5. Next to the West Bund Museum at the crossing of Longteng Avenue and Longlan Road are a cluster of contemporary galleries and spaces known collectively as the West Bund Culture and Art Pilot Zone. Embracing West Bund’s aim of promoting art and culture, it’s worth ducking into them to discover new artists. Notable galleries include the Shanghai Centre of Photography (or SCoP, Building 1), a space hosting non- and for- profit exhibits from photographers worldwide within a climate-controlled, gallery/ museum setting, and the OTA Fine Arts (Building 3) whose collections delve into contemporary representations of Asian culture through a range of media. Head over to the Arario Gallery (Building 9), a space representing fifty artists from South Korea, Japan, China, India, and Southeast Asian countries, both renowned and up- and-coming. Meanwhile, the ShangART Gallery (Building 10) has cultivated more than 60 artists in the 20 years they’ve been around and also boasts a library with a collection of art books, catalogues and related prints to be perused and purchased.