Right after our upcoming grand opening in Hong Kong, Liu Dao is brewing a strange potion on the 13th of July. Be prepared! The artists are collecting the weirdest bits and bobs they can find to produce a veritable cirque du freak, in a never-before-exhibited display that would rival the glory of the Roman Circus Maximus: "The Island of Oddities".

The eccentric tycoon Yüan Meng Ch'ien has always had a knack for the unusual. Haunted by his childhood sojourn to the spirit world and terrified of losing his life and wealth to unseen forces of evil, he surrounded himself with the most bizarre talismans and trinkets. The island6 collective inherited Mr Yüan's bizarre collection this year through a strange twist of fate. On 13th of July, select items from this jawdropping island of oddities will be put on display for the very first time. We’ve had wonderful new talents to work with for our pieces, and we look forward to putting up our most unusual show to date.

Finally, here's another date to jot down: in conjunction with the Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair 2012, island6 will be preparing another opening with M50’s joint exhibition on 5th of September 2012. The new show features a growling, hissing, meowing and braying menagerie - a zoo like no other. Stay tuned for more to come!

Liu Dao was recently invited to participate in a very special art project on Three On The Bund. Organized by Chivas Regal (yes, that famous Whiskey brand), the event was hosted in the Shanghai Gallery of Art. The Chivas collective is a month-long showcase in which chic Shanghai-ites are invited to attend a holistic, multi-disciplinary, immersive experience, to enjoy a fusion of exquisite cooking, mixology, performance and art that represent the best creative endeavours of the city in a jazzy and glamorous setting.

Amongst the celebrities invited were Tony Chambers of Wallpaper Magazine (who gave the opening speech), Wong Kar Wai with a private screening of a short film, André Saraiva & Lionel Bensemoun from Le Baron, the star chefs from Noma... and Liu Dao! A group of select invitees could peek “behind-the-scenes” to experience the entire process of producing a multimedia Liu Dao artwork. Armed with cameras, wigs, handcuffs and chroma-key screens, the islanders coaxed patrons (especially the more inebriated ones) to pose as models for Liu Dao's latest fusion artworks, featuring a Chinese papercut Lamborghini and a Hong Kong Taxi. Both pieces are destined for the island6 Hong Kong opening. Non-stop action, work and crazy-juice: exactly what we love!

April is the cruellest month, but May drew to a glorious close. On the evening of the 26th, a crowd of brave art-lovers streamed into our Moganshan space for "Them That Glide Past Our Windows", our latest show. They fought (and drank!) away their fears caused by the spooky artworks on display and a super scary fog machine. “Them That Glide Past Our Windows” is Liu Dao's 21st century exploration of how spirits, beliefs, and superstition feature in our contemporary lives.

One week prior, and (to be perfectly honest) mostly the afternoon before, the team embarked on a flurry of pre-show preparations - cleaning, scrubbing, techno-jargoning, spraying, arguing and of course, copiously drinking. Visitors were able to observe some of our newest pieces such as “The Sandy Routine”, depicting an ethereal figure doing her morning exercises against the serene backdrop of a long-gone beach; or in the same vein, “Walk Of Shame Through The Pit Stop”, in which a damsel in distress hoarsely calls for help, dangling her heels, in a barren 1940s landscape. Animal models were once again a feature, with a brand new LED artwork “Tweeters On The Line” - lively and chirping birds on disused electric wires.

After running through 21 champagne bottles and 10 birds' worth of chicken wings, it’s safe to say our guests enjoyed themselves. We met so many fabulous people - art lovers, friends old and new, fans and well-wishers. Liu Dao and island6 would like to send all these wonderful folks our biggest hugs and kisses for coming by.

The adventures of island6 continued on a muggy evening in mid-June. island6 proudly hosted a riveting and eye-opening talk on the history of Chinese photography and its relationship to contemporary art, organized by the Cercle Francophone de Shanghai. Seats were filled at lightning speed in anticipation of renowned photography expert and collector Jean Loh's (founder of the beautiful Beaugeste Gallery) lecture about such prominent figures as Mao Zedong and his wife Jiang Qing, and their role in shaping the direction of this unique, and as yet youthful contemporary art scene in China.

The fascinating subject was explored through Monsieur Loh’s unique approach and vivid way of bringing alive the 8th Art, making the evening a great success. Delicious canapés, heavenly desserts, and wine tasting were another great excuse to get stuffed and tipsy in a civilized way. To learn more about Jean Loh and his lecture, read our short interview with Mr. Loh here.

xoxoxoxo