When visiting the "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" exhibition at 1918 ArtSPACE Warehouse on a weekday afternoon, my friend and I were somewhat perturbed to discover a complete absence of all human life. This, however, was rectified by some vibrant artwork on display -- artwork solely concerned with human interaction and social constructions of gender. "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" shows the work of six female artists thematically linked in their focus on the role of women in society. Each artist uses a completely different style and medium, which although do not particularly complement each other, provides the onlooker with an interesting variety of works to consider.

Upon entering we were immediately confronted by Marie Das Dores' larger than life cardboard cutouts of female body builders. We chose to turn right, however, perhaps drawn by the soft colours used in the work of Chinese-born Cui Jie. The two paintings on display by Jie are reminiscent of post-war1950's advertising aimed at the American housewife. Although both are of girls doing sport, they are effective in evoking those images of waxy housewives brandishing the latest domestic appliance or grocery goods, and therefore suggestive of the changing roles imposed on women by society. This was off-set brilliantly by Shen Na's work opposite. Chinese born Shen Na focuses on modern female sexuality, particularly lesbian relationships, and although her most graphic work is not displayed, the contrast to the images invoked by Jie is startling. Na's use of vibrant colour was particularly appealing, and led my friend, despite the theme, to choose these works as her favourite. The mixture of a Western-inspired colour scheme with Japanese-style cartoons was particularly in-keeping with the gallery line, which like others in Shanghai, is orientated to creating "a dialogue and exchange of art and culture" between the East and West. Na herself has never expressly stated the meaning behind her work, but I felt there was a celebration of the rise of female sexuality in the West and an attempt to negotiate this into a more traditional, but ever modernizing China. There is an excellent book of Na's work available in what we supposed passed for a shop in the left-hand corner of the gallery, the book is definitely worth a flick through, as it shows some of Na's more provocative work.

Stella Lai's Asian and Western influences are a logical follow on from Na. Lai, who now lives in the U.S., is heavily influenced by her upbringing in Hong Kong. Her work reflects paintings and images of Buddha, but is of women and thematically addresses commercialism. Although the paintings are in block colours with attractive skies and flowers surrounding the women, there is a sense of sadness at the death of a 'more real' way of life. The third painting seems to portray the message most clearly and depicts women brandishing gold handbags surrounded by skulls.
Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven's work appears at first glance completely bizarre, and to have little to do with the feminist theme, however, the explanation accompanying her images sheds insight into its philosophical foundation. Kerckhoven's work springs from her impression of Shanghai from a foreign viewpoint and is still in progress. Her aim is to portray a story of Shanghai ignored by those who live there. Photography of trees display ever-present, unmoving objects, able to witness the story of the city, which Kerckhoven sees as a room full of nature, in which all people contribute. Her other work is entitled "Another Monkey" and shows her original impression of Chinese symbols.

Moving on from Kerckhoven brought us back to the pencil and charcoal drawings of body-builder women by French artist Marie Das Dores. There was a fantastic amount of detail in the women, whose stances were typically male, but whose faces lacked little femininity: an effective contrast. Placing these images in front of the entrance is a powerful introduction to the feminist theme addressed by Dores, Jie, Na and less so by Lai. However, the works are sandwiched between Kerckhoven, who focuses on Shanghai, and Wan Li, who focuses on social issues, in particular the lives of migrant workers in China. Li was a bizarre end to our visit, whose work does carry an important political message, but one that seems utterly incongruous to the rest of the exhibition; the only link appears to be that she is female.

Like the rest of the gallery there is an incomplete feel to the exhibition, perhaps contributed to by a lack of information about the artists and styles themselves. Although all the artists are focused on gender and social issues, I was nonetheless left searching for a more concrete, unifying meaning. However, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" is a refreshing change from the escapist character of many of the galleries in Shanghai, providing, as the often do, nothing more than pleasant environments for tranquil reflection rather than provocative thought.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Date/Time: Jul,1st until Aug 8th - Daily 10:30am-7pm
Location: 1918 ArtSPACE Warehouse, 78 Changping Lu, near West Suzhou Creek Road
Tel: 021-5228 6776