Red Beacon

‘Red Beacon’ is located in the middle of the Jing’An sculpture park. Jing’An is one of Shanghai’s 17 districts and has about 300,000 inhabitants. With a registered population of 17 million, this is the largest city in China.

As a result of the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai focussing on the theme ‘Better City, Better Life’, the Jing’An district organized an international sculpture project. This was not only the city’s first, but also China’s very first governmental, public art event. ‘How to improve life in an urban environment’ is a question that preoccupies many Chinese citizens. The last few years, there has been a noticeable evolution on the Asian
continent. An evolution that regards art as one of the large pillars, in addition to clean air, fewer cars and more green areas, to assure a high- quality life.

The ‘Red Beacon’ project therefore also fitted perfectly in this context, i.e. to spread the message and to make the inhabitants of Shanghai acquainted with public art. This new beacon in the city became an important step in the process towards more cultural openness in the city. A beacon in the city, where people can freely meet up and communicate openly.