QUEST FOR URBAN SIGNALS

Artist Shuaruoshizhu, from Liangshan in Sichuan, undertook an in-depth residency in Shanghai—a city of steel and density. Drawing on the primal sensibilities shaped by the mountains, he uses painting, the body, and mixed media as his means of expression. Through interactions with space and people, he maps the “folds of the wilderness” onto the “texture of the city.”

“In the mountains, the sun and the moon are my signals,” he reflects. In contrast, the city is filled with countless signals of human life. During this project, Shuaruoshizhu explored, created, expressed, and shared his perspective on Shanghai by engaging with a range of representative urban spaces, capturing the city’s unique “signals.”

The project culminated in a large-scale painting created at a landmark site in Shanghai, developed through an ongoing public co-creation process. This collective artwork was unveiled and exhibited at the Shanghai Exhibition Center on the opening day of 2026 Design Shanghai.