August 16 - Dave Persue’s ‘Wet Paint’ Exhibition @ Creative Park

Located right across the street from The Bund in the wonderfully re-done Creative Park 1, is Dave Persue’s Wet Paint Exhibition. There’s a big blow-up of Bunny Kitty™ right before the building, so you can’t miss it.

Upon entering the building you can see several vibrant colors, all coexisting in different hues, shades, and shapes. This exhibition isn’t just graffiti writing, there’s a lot more to it that you didn’t know you wanted. There are 3 floors packed with iconic art work, not just created by Persue himself — his collaborations with other OG artists from the past couple of decades are also included.

The basement is mainly dark, dimly lit where you can see neon street art renditions, learn more about Persue through a projected interview and take lots of pictures. Don’t worry, the basement is spacious and cool so you won’t come out sweaty in your pics or will have to wait for people to take at least 15 poses in one corner.

You can pace through the exhibition at a decent rate and enjoy everything at its own time. There’s a lot to see and a lot of small details to notice - everything there is placed exactly where it is for a reason. The subway installation for example, is meant to emulate moments in the late 90s, early 2000’s where OG street writers would congregate to plot their next graffiti location.

In addition, the “Wet Paint” signs, as we learned from Dave Persue himself, were meant to keep street writers from actually tagging. Because “Wet Paint” means the paint is still fresh, writers would then be tricked into thinking they couldn’t tag there since the spray-can color would run or bleed through, hence affecting the writing’s desired impact. Plus, a city worker might be more likely to show up to check on the paint job and the artist more likely to get into trouble. The irony is, Persue found the sign itself intriguing and by taking the signs and creating art with them, it implied that the battle against graffiti was never going to be won by the city. Instead, it could only be embraced.

Slowly but surely more and more artists joined the cause and began to find each other as the time went by. The underground graffiti scene was actually brewing and moving with relentless talent who had a vision wherever they went. Societal rules and views on vandalism were eventually fading and people realized that if you can’t beat them…join’em or enjoy it.

I invite you to check out this exhibition and really take the time to read on the why of the art. To learn more about Dave Persue, his creative process, the origins of BunnyKitty and more - check out our interview with him here!

It closes October 6!

“Savory Cocktails and The Smell of Bomb Barbecue in the Air”

August 17 - Summer Splash Wet & White Pool Party @ G-Luxe Hongqiao Shanghai

As you have already read before (hopefully), pool parties in Shanghai for me weren’t a thing but now I’m so happy they are. Because I didn’t leave the city for the summer like lots of people do, I had the time and chance to really absorb the vibe and partake in what you call the ultimate Shanghai Summer Experience.

I’ve attended several events in the city but where I’ve had the most fun thus far has been at pool parties and this Summer Splash one was not the exception.

Overall, the energy since you walked in was great! People were dancing, drinking, in the pool with cool floaties, overall just having a good time. The weather was great and though the venue changed last minute, the G-Luxe Hongqiao Hotel was still very nice, clean and the pool a decent size. There were dancing contests of course, communal dancing, savory cocktails, and the smell of bomb barbecue in the air.

If you weren’t able to attend... To be continued in Pt. 2