Upcoming Exhibition ｜ I / witness / gold-paved / Shanghai

START Museum will open its annual large-scale exhibition, I / witness / gold-paved / Shanghai, to the public on June 29th, 2025. As the fourth and final installment of the museum’s inaugural exhibition series, this show raises a fundamental question: Do we need to revisit the definitions of "who are artists" and "what is art"? Spanning six months, the exhibition’s composition and the extended discourse it provokes carry profound significance.

Over the past three years, START Museum has meticulously structured its four-part inaugural exhibition series, each asserting a clear symbolic meaning and unwavering values. This systematic approach marks a disciplined and visionary beginning for an international professional art institution. The first three seasons—START (2022), Thus Spoke The Moment (2023), and Frontier (2024)—have, over two years of display and debate, featured more than 170 pioneering and pivotal artists from around the world, tracing the structural evolution of global art since the 1960s. Each installment has had a profound impact in terms of trends and influence. Now, the upcoming fourth and final exhibition promises even deeper insights, inviting multidimensional reflection and discussion.

Chen Zhen, Game Table, 1996–1997, Coins, wood, metal, bottles, 120×360×500cm

Since its opening on December 30th, 2022, START Museum has demonstrated a distinctive sense of responsibility and mission within Shanghai’s cultural landscape.  START Museum’s founder, Mr. He Juxing, and his dedicated team have worked with clockwork precision, channeling years of accumulated expertise and passion into building this institution. In less than three years, START Museum has already launched seven long-term experimental practices, including “Screening Project”, “Genealogy Study of Artists”, “Zero-Degree Sculpture Project”, “Urban Artist Archives”, “Long table Discussions”, “Timeline Publication Program”, and “The History of World Art Since the 1960s”, among other exhibitions and events. Through exhibitions, academic research, publications, and anthologies, the museum has established a rigorous foundation spanning art, humanities, and social realities, earning early acclaim for its professionalism. Additionally, START Museum’s discerning collection strategy and steadfast commitment to social responsibility have been widely recognized.

Damien Hirst, Zeolite Mixture, 1999, Gloss household paint on canvas, Diameter: 304.8cm

Zhang Enli, Mr. Shanghai, 2021, Oil on canvas, 380×300cm

I / witness / gold-paved / Shanghai brings together artists whose works span diverse cultural eras since the 1960s. The exhibition features 39 artists, including Marina Abramovi?, Alighiero Boetti, Chen Zhen, ángela de la Cruz, Richard Deacon, Olafur Eliasson, Fang Lijun, Guan Wei, Damien Hirst, Huang Ran, Sophie von Hellermann, Anselm Kiefer, Li Songsong, Liu Xiaodong, Nate Lowman, Lu Pingyuan, Li Binyuan, Luo Zhongli, Ma Kelu, Mao Xuhui, Pu Yingwei, Sterling Ruby, Shen Xiaotong, Shu Qun, Katja Seib, Karin Sander, Wang Guangyi, Wang Qingsong, Wang Yuping, Mary Weatherford, Troels W?rsel, Xiang Jing, Xia Xiaowan, Xiao Lu, Yu Youhan, Zhang Enli, Zhao Gang, Zheng Guogu, Zhou Yilun, among others—along with a selection of their most representative works.

Wang Guangyi, Famous Painting Covered with Quick-Drying Industrial Paint, 1989, Mixed media on paper, 19×23cm; 20×16cm; 20×16cm; 20×18cm

Richard Deacon, Lock, 1990, Laminated cardboard, aluminum panel, vinyl, 242×382×301cm

Anselm Kiefer, Nebelland hab ich gesehen, Nebelherz hab ich gegessen für Ingeborg Bachmann, 1997, Acrylic, shellac and lead on canvas, 600×800cm

Liu Xiaodong, Qinghai-Tibet Railway, 2007, Oil on canvas, 250×200cm × 5

Shu Qun, Absolute Principle No.1, 1984, Oil on canvas, 160×200cm

This exhibition is made possible with the generous support of Top Space Art Service, 111Skin, 甄心汇选商业（上海）有限公司, Miya, INITIAL, Yinma Media.