The “sublime beauty of the banal” is the focal point of the modern art gallery built by the Chinese company Neri&Hu for Ota Fine Arts in Shanghai.
Situated near Shanghai’s famous Bund along the Huangpu River, Rockbund is a mixed-use development with a number of restored colonial art deco structures. The gallery occupies the bottom floor of one of the towers.
“The primary design challenge was to utilise the areas along the facade for both storage and display, blurring the distinction between functional and experiential space,” stated Neri&Hu.
“This deepened threshold condition found on both facades defines the visitor’s arrival sequence and journey within.”
The gallery’s exterior was framed in aged steel, with huge glass panels and sections of solid metal organized to create a window show for the artworks.
The inside of the window is lined with delicately woven handmade ivory tiles that provide a neutral background for the artwork.
The eastern facade’s entry to the gallery is designated by a large sliding door. The gallery’s outer sliding door frames the window exhibit next to it when it is opened, revealing the gallery’s entrance.
The door swings back to its original position when closed, revealing the full-height glass window.
A warehouse-sized door on the western facade can be fully opened with a handle made to order.
Large artworks can now be delivered straight into the gallery from a designated parking area.
Additionally, Neri&Hu inserted fluted glass to the outside, which adds elegance to the practical facade and glows in the evening to illuminate the nearby Rockbund courtyard.
The 350 square meter interior of the gallery is split into two areas: a 150 square meter main public viewing gallery and a private area with offices and VIP rooms.
The minimalist, white VIP rooms were intended to provide a calm space where the focus could be on the artwork itself. They have custom-made white tiles, a stained oak floor, and contemporary furniture.
“The project’s understated material palette and overall conceptual underpinning lies in the juxtaposition of old and new, raw and refined, ordinary and spectacular,” noted Neri&Hu.
“We hope one can appreciate the sublime beauty of the banal, as much as the brilliance of contemporary art,” it continued.
Architects Lyndon Neri and Rosanna Hu established Neri&Hu in Shanghai in 2004.
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