Chanel opens art library at Shanghai museum

Chanel Unveils Contemporary Art Library in Shanghai Power Station

Chanel officially opened Espace Gabrielle Chanel to the public Tuesday at Shanghai’s Power Station of Art, marking mainland China’s first public library dedicated to contemporary art. The 18,000-square-foot cultural space represents the culmination of a long-term strategic partnership between the French luxury house and the state-run museum, first announced in May 2024.hypebeast

The third-floor venue, designed by Japanese architect Kazunari Sakamoto, houses over 50,000 books and audiobooks, with more than 10,000 volumes currently accessible to visitors. The space also features a 300-seat theater, upgraded exhibition hall, and a terrace overlooking the Huangpu River.artnews

Cultural Bridge Between East and West

“Espace Gabrielle Chanel represents Chanel’s ongoing commitment to fostering ideas that promote culture,” Yana Peel, Chanel’s president for arts, culture and heritage, told ARTnews. “The library embodies the essence of the Chanel Culture Fund’s philosophy: it promotes cross-cultural exchange, honors heritage, preserves national archives, and showcases the best of contemporary avant-garde work.”artnews

The opening marks the first major initiative of Chanel’s Culture Fund in Asia, which now supports 50 projects across 15 countries. The partnership builds on the Next Cultural Producer program, launched in 2021 to support emerging practices in contemporary Chinese craft, architecture and theater.cnn

Architectural Vision and Programming

Sakamoto’s design creates a “valley of books” that echoes the adjacent Huangpu River, using gentle ramps and varying shelf heights to soften the industrial building’s stark lines. The space also houses the Archive of Chinese Contemporary Art, aimed at preserving contemporary artistic practices from mainland China.yahoo

To celebrate the opening, an exhibition titled “Home and Beyond” curated by distinguished art curator Hou Hanru debuted Tuesday. The theater inaugurated with an immersive performance of György Ligeti’s “Atmosphères,” directed by local artist Yin Yi.yahoo

“This partnership will help bridge the longstanding divide between China’s contemporary art landscape and the global scene,” said Gong Yan, PSA’s director. The Power Station of Art, which opened in 2012 in a converted power plant, serves as the first state-operated museum dedicated to contemporary art in mainland China and hosts the Shanghai Biennale.artnews