Fengjing town, located in Shanghai’s
deep south, has long been renowned
locally for its ‘peasant art’ –bright,
vibrant paintings that decorate the walls of
rural buildings dotted throughout Jinshan
district. But in the past couple of months
some new, foreign paintings have been
popping up on the sides of houses, snack
stalls and farm buildings. Mostly consisting
of colourful child-like figures, these new
additions are the work of French street artist
Seth (Julien Malland).
First drawn to graffiti art in 1980s Paris,
Seth has gone on to produce art in places
as far-flung as Tahiti, Brazil and India,
staying true to his social media handle of
‘Globepainter’.
His first visit to Shanghai saw him
collaborate with locally-based artist Popil
on an installation at Xintiandi, but it was
a series of works that he undertook on a
second visit last year that really brought him
to the attention of the masses here. Seth
painted a collection of female figures in a
soon-to-be-demolished lilong on Kangding
Lu, but after only a few weeks the works
were covered up by the authorities, creating
a social media storm. ‘I was in France back
then,’ he says. ‘I didn’t realise what was
going on. Some friends were telling me
about it but I could not measure how viral it
had become. Coming back to China, I was
really surprised by the impact of these few
paintings. I always try to paint for the people
living in the places I work on; the fact that it
touched so many people really encourages
me to keep going.’
Seth’s visit last month was far more
harmonious. He was invited by More Than
Opera, a Peking opera production company,
to create works near the Power Station of
Art, and by Shanghai United Foundation to
work in Fengjing of Jinshan district. Nevertheless, his painting
still garnered plenty of attention. ‘The
reactions among locals in Fengjing have
been outstanding especially because my
paintings were about them, their traditions
and the things that matter to them,’ he says.
‘I also collaborated with local painters and
farmers like the artist Cao Xiuwen, which
was a way to pay respect to their wonderful
art form. If you reach out to local residents
generously and respectfully you touch them
on a personal level.’
His works can now be found dotted
throughout Fengjing, adorning everything
from gates to houses to canal locks. ‘I try
to give a bit of dream, pleasure to people,
but I also try to open a debate on our
relationship with materialism, progress
and this ever-changing world,’ he says of
his art. ‘My characters are doors that open
on an imaginary world. I often hide the
faces so that the public can easily identify
themselves. It’s up to each and everyone to
find in it a personal meaning.’
Find details of how to get to Fengjing and where to see some of Seth's works through the features below:
