So, imagine being one of 30 talented artists living in a giant warehouse, converted to artist studios. Suddenly, you find out you are going to be evicted. And not because you haven't paid your rent or you've broken the rules of living in the studios. It's actually because the former owner of the building is in jail and the building has been turned over to the city, who has decided that the run-down warehouse/mansion (weird combo, I know) would provide more use when renovated and made into high end stores and apartments. This is what is happening to the artists of Shanghai's 696 Weihai Road. The city has decided to evict the remaining artists (many of whom have signed contracts with the city to live here) and once the building is renovated, many of them will not be able to afford living there.
So, what's an artist to do when faced with such a challenge. 2 things. The first, is to protest. The second? Stage a kick-ass social media campaign, using all of your creative powers combined!
(one of the pics from the social media campaign)
This movement (supposedly inspired by the Wizard of Oz) by the artists has gained massive amounts of support from the people of Shanghai and it looks like the artists will be getting a reprieve-at least for now. I love that they were able to "stick it to the man" by using their talents to create public support for themselves and their artforms. Well done artists, well done.
(more pictures featured in the Shanghai artist eviction social media campaign)
http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Chinese+artists+fight+studio+eviction/23355
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/usa/life/2011-02/09/content_11968339.htm
http://www.shanghaieye.net/english/2011/03/shanghai-artists-plan-%E2%80%98wizard-of-oz%E2%80%99-activity-to-resist-eviction-in-april
This is fantastic. Sticking it to the man with art. If the city had known all the positive benefits that artist space can have on a community, maybe they wouldn't have threatened to evict the artists in the first place. Well, that's idealistic. When it comes down to it, money > supporting human resources, especially if they're artists.
ReplyDeleteDid it work? I am not sure the Chinese government gives two sh.ts about people protesting, evidence: 2008 Olympics. They are pro's on ignoring what the people want. I am also curious if these live-work housings in China are effective? With a few billion people I am not sure it is possible to gauge any real impact they have.
ReplyDeleteps. China is also good at taking on the internet, evidence: Google. It will be fascinating to see how the government censors this protest.
Bravo! It is great to see artists and community in general protest in such a creative pacific way. I agree with Siobhan that if the city had known all of the benefits of having an artist community maybe they wouldn't try to evict them but I think that is going to take more time for governments to realize.
ReplyDeleteThe artists were supposed to be kicked out in February, but the government has given them a "reprieve" until the end of April. My guess is that is probably all they will get. Also, I had to search for quite a while to find all of these pictures, so the government is definitely censoring what is getting out One of the articles that I read talked about these great "Wizard of Oz" videos that came out as part of the social media campaign, but I was unable to find any of them. It will be interesting to see if anything else comes out about this...
ReplyDeleteI love how the artists utilized social media as a creative tool to overcome this challenge. I hope that the city eventually realizes the importance of having an artist community and how it adds color and vibrancy to its neighborhoods.
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