Gong Yan, head of the PSA, says that the Shanghai Biennale has in its 24 years of evolution gradually established a distinctive identity that is closely related to the city of Shanghai and contemporary Chinese society.

The Shanghai Biennale has since its establishment in 1996 been hosted by the Shanghai Art Museum. In 2012, the museum moved to the former China Pavilion of World Expo 2010 and changed its name to China Art Museum Shanghai, ceding the hosting rights of the biennale to the PSA.

In the past 24 years, the Shanghai Biennale has played an active part in the development of Shanghai's contemporary art scene, says Gong. A large number of galleries and private museums were established in Shanghai, and the corporate world became increasingly interested in sponsoring art, which provided an important foundation for the prosperity of art trading and a healthy art ecosystem, she adds.

As the pandemic has resulted in the cancellation and postponement of several exhibitions by overseas artists, the PSA decided to make a retrospective study of the Shanghai Biennale through this exhibition.

On show are artworks, including paintings, sculptures, videos and installations, from the previous Shanghai Biennale that were collected by the PSA and the Shanghai Art Museum, that are now part of the collection at China Art Museum Shanghai. Many artists have also brought items from their studios, including tools, materials, manuscripts, photographs and books. Visitors will learn about the historical context where these contemporary Chinese artists built their careers, the cultural impact they made and details of special significance in their individual experiences.

"The title Shanghai Waves was borrowed from a novel by British author Virginia Woolf," says Huang, the curator.