Crossing the ‘World Bridge’

What does a sculpture exhibition say about the current moment?

Jing’an Sculpture Park in central Shanghai recently saw a new addition: a bridge that looks different from every angle. Steps on either side allow visitors to walk up and meet in the middle. Beneath the center of the bridge a Chinese tallow tree has been planted, which extends up and over the top, creating a pavilion-like structure.

The work, La Passerelle — or “World Bridge” in Chinese — is one of the exhibits in the 7th Jing’an International Sculpture Project (JISP), which opened in September. Its creator, the German sculptor Katinka Bock, specially chose a Chinese tallow tree from Shanghai to form part of her work. The tree shields everyone who has the courage and determination to scale the bridge, promising that as long as you have curiosity and patience, you’ll make it to the other side.

The theme of this year’s sculpture project is “Space Evolution.” The core aims of the sculpture exhibition are to bring culture to urban spaces, serve different communities and individuals, and establish connections between people and spaces.

This theme echoes important recent changes in the Jing’an Sculpture Park. Around a year ago, the park’s fences were slowly taken down, opening up the site and making it accessible at all hours of the day. Nearby citizens have been afforded an unprecedented sense of space: The lush greenery and artistic sculptures have now become part of the streetscape, creating an expansive yet immediate feeling.

This is what cities should be like. Only by removing barriers and opening up areas does art have the space it needs to grow.

The day before the opening of the JISP, I visited the sculpture park with Mao Wencai, head of the curatorial team. As we examined the recently installed works, Mao told me about the difficulties involved in organizing this year’s project. Despite the extremely tight time constraints, the project still managed to secure the participation of 28 artists from 16 countries around the world, including 18 international artists, with most of the artists making the trip to Shanghai. That’s something we haven’t seen here in years.

Later, I asked the curator Samuel Leuenberger what makes a piece of public art truly successful. What if the viewer has never heard of the artist? His reply really impressed me. He explained that while the viewer might not know the artist or have heard of the work, they can nevertheless tell when it’s a success. Even if they can’t put it into words, they’ll still feel that everything is just right.

And he’s right. In a sense, public art is what the German artist and teacher Joseph Beuys called a “social plastic,” allowing people and things to come together in a certain way in a social space and become a kind of existence with its own order and structure. In the case of La Passerelle, a spiral bridge passes over a tree. As the branches and leaves grow, the tree provides shelter for the bridge and also creates an ever-changing landscape.

In the days before and after the event’s opening, I met many artists from overseas. When talking with them, I found that they were also curious about the changes happening in China, just as we were curious about how they viewed things. Perhaps the world hasn’t changed as much as we’d imagined. Or else, maybe we and the world are moving and changing, and next time we meet, we won’t feel so far away from ourselves.

My first time truly experiencing a world bridge in real life was during a trip to Istanbul several years ago, in a car speeding across the Bosphorus Bridge. At the time, I silently lamented the ease with which one could travel from Asia to Europe.

As the world becomes a more fractious place, there is an ever-greater need for authentic communication and dialogue. Kind understanding, patience, co-creation and hope — these efforts have been validated in the field of art, such as in this sculpture project. It’s my hope that these positive artistic practices can inspire other fields and give them strength to take action.

Shen Qilan is a curator, writer, and cultural scholar based in Shanghai.

Translator: David Ball; portrait artist: Wang Zhenhao.

(Header image: “World Bridge” on display in Shanghai, Sept. 18, 2023. Xiang Xin/IC)