The colorful advertisements in shopping malls, the products endorsed by celebrities on TV, livestreaming platforms full of persuasive sellers, and even the overwhelming commercial information on various facades of buildings, roads, and transportation ... Have you ever realized that you bought something you don’t really need? We begin to see that perhaps it is not our needs that drive the production of goods, but the production of goods in turn creates our desires, shaping us into becoming highly similar consumers.

The value of art lies in its narrative that is hard to replicate. Every work of art is a mapping of the creator’s ontological consciousness. All of them are closely related to the artist’s own experience, feelings, and reflections. Art is the unique subjective narrative of each creator. When art becomes a consumer product, narrative becomes an important factor that we pay for. Therefore, when we consume a piece of art, we are actually consuming the story, values and identity it embodies. The so-called “consumption of art” is not only the purchase of artworks, but also the emotional connection between consumers and artists.

AN+ Art & Design Center, the exhibition venue of “Call Me by My Price! Art Landscape in a No-Stop City,” is located inside the Ping An Finance Center, a landmark building in Shenzhen. Shopping malls are one of the most representative spaces for consumer culture. PAFC Mall is also one of the best known shopping malls in Shenzhen. To respond to the theme of this exhibition, the curators draw on the concept of “No-Stop City” that was proposed by the Italian radical architecture design groups Archizoom and Superstudio in the 1960s.

As envisioned by Archizoom and Superstudio, the entire exhibition space is divided into grids. The functions and rules of the space are highly simplified into a place with only two behaviors: production and consumption. When artworks are placed in such a space, there seems to be a confrontation between artistic narrative that emphasizes uniqueness and space design that removes differentiation, which may also successfully foil an interesting collision.

The exhibition features 17 artists: Hei Yiyang, Huang Cheng, Huang Yin, Lao Jiahui, Tan Lijie, Tan Xuan, Wen Xuefei, Xu Zhenbang, Xu Ziwei, Yu Tong, Zeng Zhaohua, Zhan Yan, Zhao Erdong, Zhou Yuan, Fly Chen, Papa Lemon and Aurora Reinhard. When the artworks are viewed by visitors, or visitors post relevant content on social media, the act of “consumption” will in turn complement the “narrative” of the exhibition.

Dates: Until March 14, 2021

Tickets: 38 yuan for students, 58 yuan per person (Mon.-Fri.), 78 yuan per person (Sat.-Sun.)

Venue: AN+ Art & Design Center, 3/F, PAFC Mall, Ping An Finance Center, Futian District (福田区平安金融中心PAFC Mall三楼安云艺术设计中心)

Metro: Line 1 or 3 to Shopping Park Station (购物公园站), Exit D(SD News)