SHANGHAI.- As part of the gallery’s ongoing commitment to developing its activities in Asia, Hauser & Wirth is staging three presentations at Shanghai Contemporary Art Week in November – participating in ART021 Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair for the first time, returning to West Bund Art & Design Fair, and co-organising a Martin Creed solo exhibition at Qiao Space, with Qiao Zhibing. With its increased presence this year, Hauser & Wirth looks forward to engaging with the increasingly diverse and influential audiences that are visiting the city.

Hauser & Wirth has been steadily building a presence in Asia through longstanding participation in the region’s major art fairs and through strong relationships with collectors, public institutions and private museums. In May 2016, Vanessa Guo was appointed as a Director to lead on ambitious new projects and partnerships dedicated to introducing an Asian audience to the gallery’s artists. Guo was previously at Christie’s auction house, where she was responsible for development in China. Guo says: ‘Shanghai has enjoyed a flourishing art scene in recent years with several new art fairs meeting with success and the country’s best private museums opening up on the West Bund art corridor. With the city rapidly becoming the art center of China, it’s only natural for Hauser & Wirth to jump right in. West Bund and ART021 are currently China’s best international contemporary art fairs and make them the best platforms to showcase the gallery’s artists. Collaborating with local influencers in the art world such as Qiao Space, to introduce our programme, is another important pillar of our strategy for developing the region.’

The gallery’s first presentation at ART021 reinforces the diversity of Hauser & Wirth’s roster, featuring important works from its estates (Fausto Melotti, David Smith), mature artists (Roni Horn, Takesada Matsutani, Pipilotti Rist, Diana Thater) and the younger generation (Rashid Johnson, Bharti Kher, Wilhelm Sasnal). Returning to West Bund Art & Design Fair for the third time, Hauser & Wirth stages a presentation dedicated to paintings by leading figures in 20th- and 21st-century art, including Louise Bourgeois, Philip Guston, Anj Smith, Mark Wallinger, Jakub Julian Ziolkwoski and Zhang Enli.

Following the success of Wilhelm Sasnal’s solo exhibition at Qiao Space last year, Hauser & Wirth once again collaborates with Qiao Zhibing to host ‘Martin Creed. UNDERSTANDING’. Martin Creed is one of the leading British artists of his generation and ‘UNDERSTANDING’ marks his first solo show in China. The exhibition provides a comprehensive introduction to the artist, featuring a cross section of his signature neons, sculptures, videos, small-scale canvas paintings and site-specific wall paintings. This selection of keys works highlight Creed’s playful spirit, innovative approach to a broad range of materials and his ongoing fascination with the commonplace.