BANK 10th Anniversary Show "Birthday Party!"

10 November 2023 - 24 February 2024 Shanghai

BANK was born 10 years ago out of a happy mistake. It started with the discovery of a special space, a whim, and some hutzpah. It is now a global brand. Xianggang Lu No 59 was the address that gave us our name and original vitality. It was the former Bank Union Building (est. 1925), defunct and derelict, but in our eyes an austere bastion of possibilities. The idea was to create a ‘curatorial studio,’ a place where curator’s ideals could be flushed out, where Chinese artists could be in conversation with the rest of the world, and where art could be intellectually challenging and fun at the same time. We achieved this and then some.

BANK grew from its original mission, sometimes in multiple directions at once, gaining then losing, then regaining an ever-evolving roster of artists, programs, and influence. We took our artists around the world and brought the rest of the world to Shanghai. Along the way, we have shown some of the most recognized artists on the planet - Hito Steyerl, Marina Abramovic, Paul McCarthy, Xu Bing, Isaac Julien, Robert Mapplethorpe and Patty Chang to name a few. We have also given many emerging artists their first solo exhibitions in Shanghai- Sun Yitian, Liao Guohe, Lawrence Lek, Alvin Ong, Zhang Yibei, etc. We were never easy to pin down or put in a box. ‘Surprise’ became our modus operandi. For us, art is a conduit of discovery, unbound by trends, taste, or geography. For us, art knows no limits and we are eager to keep probing its frontier.

We are often regarded as an “emerging artist” gallery with our youngest artist born in 2001. However, our oldest artist was born in 1932 and would be 91 years old if he didn’t die in 1989. Sadly, we have had other artists pass over the years. We have self-taught artists and artists who are professors. We have no prejudices about age, sex, or race and embrace eclecticism wholeheartedly, but not at the expense of consistent quality.

There were many memorable milestones along the way: raucous performances, drunken debauchery, and museum shows around the world, as there were struggles, sudden changes, and global catastrophes. We put on 65 exhibitions of over 80 artists and participated in 42 art fairs in 10 countries and regions. We have become an internationally recognized commercial gallery whose artists are exhibited in and collected by the top institutions but we move steadily with an independent heart whose focus is still on the spirit of art.

We can't believe we're 10 years old and even though we've already done so much, we're still young, ambitious, and growing strong. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BANK! Enjoy the party!