Davide Quadrio is the founder and director of the BizArt Art Center, which has been at the forefront of the Shanghai contemporary art scene since 1998.

It all started with the guerilla exhibition “Supermarket: Art for Sale,” in which Davide and a few of his artist friends (including Xu Zhen, Yang Zhengzhong and Liang Yue) took over an unfinished commercial space in a mall.

Not surprisingly, the exhibition was promptly shut down by authorities. This was the catalyst that was needed for the birth of BizArt, conceived as an alternative space for experimentation and free expression.

Eight years later, the environment for contemporary art in Shanghai has changed significantly—for the better. ArtInfo spoke with Quadrio (who has been in Shanghai for 10 years) about these changes in the art world and about BizArt itself, which recently split its exhibition space in half to include a full production studio for artists-in-residence from China and abroad.

Why did you first start BizArt Art Center?

BizArt Art Center was created as a place for young artists to work with each other, feed off each other and experiment with new ideas and art practices. Back in 1998, there were no options for young contemporary artists, especially those working in newer media like video, installation and performance. After “Supermarket” was shut down, the need for this kind of alternative space was even more essential for the growth of the local art scene. We didn’t want to be a commercial gallery and be dictated to by the art market. BizArt had to be completely autonomous. It had to be the kind of environment where creativity and innovation were freely encouraged in the artists that we worked with.

What kind of progress have you witnessed since the very first BizArt exhibition?

When we started BizArt, there was absolutely no awareness of contemporary art in Shanghai. Now, of course, it’s everywhere.

Back in the early days, there was ShanghArt Gallery, a small group of artists and BizArt. We were passionate about our mission, but we were all scattered and not very professional.

It was only when ShanghArt opened its gallery space in Fuxing Park and we had our first space on Huai Hai Lu that contemporary art finally had a home in this city. The media attention on Shanghai certainly has contributed to the recent growth of the art market, making us work harder to prove ourselves and to prove that contemporary art can live in a city like Shanghai.

On the institutional level, because BizArt has worked on many high profile projects with different foreign institutions (the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the Mondriaan Foundation, the Prince Claus Foundation, just to name a few), we became a reference point for the local government. They were able to monitor our activities and learn about what’s going on culturally. They would often turn to BizArt to provide them with expertise for cultural events.

This of course has helped the local government realize that art is a relevant and viable thing. I would also credit the opening of the Shanghai Art Museum (1999) with helping art evolve in this city. It has become a world class venue for art and has certainly been influential in the opening of other museums.

The sprouting of new art spaces, the media attention, international recognition, and the growing market for Chinese contemporary art have all been factors in creating the current art situation we see today. Things have become more refined in general but not necessarily more interesting.

What still needs to happen here in order for Shanghai to be seen as culturally relevant as the world’s other major arts centers?

This is a big question. Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is freedom of expression. It’s not a “free” country in the way that you and I are used to, but you can still do a lot here. It’s a very bizarre combination.

A couple of years ago, I participated in a workshop with the World Bank and the Shanghai Municipal government. The topic was what makes Shanghai an international city in terms of culture, and what more needs to happen. I have come across official articles where they reference this workshop, and [the authorities] have recognized the importance of local culture and supporting the growth of creativity, which is a good thing.

The question is how this is played out in real life. In terms of artistic content, it is still very difficult because there is little respect for artistic creations. While there is that recognition of the overall value of culture, that kind of recognition does not filter down to basic level. There needs to be more opportunities for artists and some [governmental] control needs to be relinquished.