By Katie Dominy /asdf 13-08-2008

Dutch-based Designer Maarten Baas’ first solo exhibition in China, Shanghai Riddle, takes place at Contrasts Gallery in Shanghai.

The Shanghai Riddle exhibition features works inspired by the designer’s experiences in China, including the latest versions of his Sculpt, “Hey, chair, be a bookshelf!” and Smoke series, as well as new versions of his carved wood interpretations of plastic furniture.

Reworking traditional Chinese woodcarving
Baas was invited to participate in Contrast Gallery’s residency programme that brings European artists to China to study local artistic and cultural techniques. He became fascinated with traditional Chinese woodcarving and this exhibition is dominated by the results.

City full of contradictions
Baas says, “Shanghai is a city full of contradictions: old/new, high-tech/low-tech, tradition/revolution, fake/real, cheap/expensive, original/copy, etc. This was what encouraged me to develop the exhibition ‘The Shanghai Riddle,’ also full of paradoxes and experiments, inspired by a city in which everything seems possible.”

Unique pieces
Chinese Objects Object is a new work based on the “Hey, chair…” series. Baas made an assemblage of different kinds of wooden Chinese objects, which was then carved out of solid wood by local Chinese craftsmen. Another piece is made up of various objects, handpicked by Baas from the streets of Shanghai during his visits, and finished with traditional Chinese red lacquer. The Sculpt concept has expanded to include a musical instrument: a typical Chinese “pipa” - Baas hopes the instrument can be played during the exhibition.

The exhibition will run from August 15 to September 4 2008. (Image: Baas, Cabinet)

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