Output details

Come On

This public art project builds upon Nixon’s previous research as artist and director of Space Explorations, and his concerns with developing new strategies for contemporary public art within urban contexts. Awarded a Chinese government commendation for the Shanghai World Expo project (2007), in 2009 Nixon was invited and funded by Shanghai’s Cultural Development Department (SCDD) and the Caoyang Community to lead a multidisciplinary team of researchers from the Contemporary Art Research Centre (Cullinan Richards, David Loder) to collaborate with international artists and curators, public arts organisations and researchers from Shanghai University, to develop and exhibit new approaches to public art within the context of Shanghai and World Expo 2010.

As research project co-ordinator and curator, Nixon’s team developed the public art project Come On (2009) in one of the last surviving examples of Shanghai’s housing history, the Caoyang residential district, built in 1952 as a vision of urban communal living for model workers. The project engaged the local community to develop individual and collective responses to the public square and restore and reactivate it for social and artistic use through a series of five sculptural interventions, live performances, publications and films. Come On was one of a series of international artworks commissioned by SCDD for the World Expo to change the discourse around public art in Shanghai and develop new possibilities for public art before and during the World Expo.

Accompanying conference at M50, Community’s Significance in Urban Development and Public Art Projects (26/4/2009) included public art policy speakers, practitioners and researchers from China and UK: Lewis Biggs (Director Liverpool Biennial), Sioned Hughes (UK Artist), Wang Hongyi (Professor of Public Arts, Shanghai University) Jonathan Watkins (Ikon Gallery), and participating artists.

Review: Public Art China. (2009) Issue 1, 8-23pp: ISSN 1674-7038