ISLAND6 ARTS CENTER

island6 Arts Center is an artist-founded, artist-run "art first" not-for-profit organization based in Shanghai with a production site and an adjoining gallery for the cutting-edge, new media artwork of the Liu Dao art collective in Shanghai. The production studio is equipped for all manner of artistic creation – from traditional Chinese papercutting to interactive video animation – while the spacious gallery is used for thematic exhibitions. Every "art forward" island6 exhibition is the product of multi-disciplined, collaborative in-house workshops.

The history of the center dates back to 2006, when it was founded by Thomas Charvériat in a rehabilitated flour mill warehouse on Moganshan Road. Since then, it has occupied various locations and has set up partnerships with several galleries in Beijing, Hong Kong, Paris, Bangkok, Singapore and New York. The Liu Dao collective primarily creates LED artworks, interactive installations, Photography and sculptures. Liu Dao explores the cultural potential of the convergence of art, technology and science, and promotes cross-cultural dialogue through their unique collaborative philosophy.

island6 is run by the island6 art collective, Liu Dao 六岛, as well as a team of  volunteers, researchers and interns.

ISLAND6 SHANGHAI

HEADQUARTERS

island6 Arts Center
50 Moganshan Lu, Bld 6, 2F
Shanghai 200060, P.R.C
(near Changhua Lu and Xi Suzhou Lu, behind Aomen Lu)
六岛艺术中心, 莫干山路50号6号楼2楼 (近昌化路和西苏州路)
EXHIBITION HOURS: DAILY 10:00 TO 19:00
Telephone: +86 (0)21 6227 7856
Email: contact[arroba]island6.org

HISTORY

island6 & The Fou Foong Flour Mill
island6 was first established on Moganshan road number 120, in the Fou Foong Flour Mill, a four-storey red brick building designed in 1897 by the British architectural firm Dallas & Atkinson. The Fou Foong Flour Mill was founded by Mr. Sun Duoxin and his brother Mr. Sun Duosen (from Anhui province) who made it the largest and most advanced mill of Asia of the late nineteenth century by being the first ones to import American machinery and by offering its 2,000 employees the benefits of an hospital and two on-site school. [Earnshaw Graham, Tales of Old Shanghai]
Its success attracted many other entrepreneurs, resulting in the creation of 16 more mills and the base for China's modern milling industry. Later it was purchased by Rong Yiren, Vice-President of the People's Republic of China from 1993 to 1998 and onetime business tycoon. In 2002, the Fou Foong Flour Mill complex was sold to a real estate developer, most of the silos were demolished and the "small packaged flour" warehouse were stood island6 was facing imminent demolition. The remnant of Suzhou Creek’s industry was fought by architects and university professors, and island6 became historical heritage architecture. In 2006, the warehouse was rented out to Thomas Charvériat, Margherita Salmaso, Zheng Guoyang and Kang Jingfang who were responsible for the foundation of the first island6. On April 1st 2006, “Invisible Layers, Electric Cities” the first art exhibition organized by island6 (and curated by Allard van Hoorn & Margherita Salmaso) opened its door. In June 2008, facing imminent eviction by real estate developer, island6 moved to Moganshan number 50.
island6 & M50
Established in 2006 in m50 (located at 31.247841°N 121.449316°E), the new island6 space was founded towards the promotion of emerging and prominent Chinese and international artists. The m50 district is found at the heart of the former Shanghai Chunming Roving Factory. Located on the southern bank of the Suzhou River, m50 art district was once called the Xinhe Spinning Mill, belonging to the Zhou-family and supplied merchants from Anhui province with cotton and textile. In 1994 the enterprise was renamed Shanghai Chunming Woolen Mill. Following a series of exhibitions, the converted space, designed by French architect Philippe Diani and dressed with furniture by Aymeric Lefort, has undergone complete renovations. On August 2008, the space was once again rehabilated by Taiwanese architects Zheng Guoyang and Kang Jingfang.