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Pudong Art Museum (Part One)
The Pudong Art Museum (MAP) is an international-level art venue located in the core area of Lujiazui, Shanghai. Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel designed it, setting it apart by hosting world-class art exhibitions. Presently, the museum is showcasing two significant international exhibitions: "The Wonders of Pattern" and "Concordance: Picasso & Paul Smith." The museum has also innovatively introduced the official Doubao AI guided tour service, offering visitor

Cathy Shen
3 days ago3 min read


The Bund Source Architectural Complex in Shanghai
I've visited quite a few art galleries recently. Today, let's turn our attention to architecture. Compared with other ancient Chinese capitals, Shanghai is a relatively "young" city. However, due to its long-standing role as China's gateway for foreign trade and exchange since modern times, much of its architecture bears the hallmark of "fusion." The Bund Source Architectural Complex is a prime example. The Bund Source is located at the confluence of the Huangpu River and Suz

Cathy Shen
6 days ago8 min read


Starting from the Stage Design Controversy at Jolin Tsai's Concert
The premiere of Jolin Tsai's PLEASURE World Tour was held at the Taipei Dome from December 30, 2025, to January 1, 2026, concluding with enormous success. The tour's stage design featured mythical beasts such as a celebratory bull, a rainbow-winged Pegasus, and a golden pig of greed, complemented by a purgatorial forest of swords and a seven-story-tall "Lady of Pleasure" installation—all combining to create a fantastical world. However, this avant-garde stage design immediate

Cathy Shen
Jan 134 min read


How to Appreciate Contemporary Art
When I wrote down this title, I startled myself. Who am I to tackle such a complex subject in a single essay? Over the past few months, I have visited numerous art exhibitions in Shanghai, the majority of which featured modern and contemporary art—from the Shanghai Biennale's exploration of "non-human intelligence" to the Fluxus avant-garde works at the West Bund Museum to the "Hard Painting" exhibition at the Modern Art Museum, among others. I must admit that, compared to cl

Cathy Shen
Jan 125 min read


Gentle Firmness: Reconstructing Maslow: The Origins of Aesthetic Need
The Garden of Earthly Delights Bosch's triptych The Garden of Earthly Delights hangs quietly in the Prado Museum in Madrid. The left panel depicts the purity of Eden, the center portrays humanity's unbridled revelry on earth, and the right panel reveals hell's darkness and punishment. Five hundred years ago, this Northern Renaissance painter crystallized human desire, fall, and redemption onto wooden panels with brushstrokes both absurd and meticulous. When I first encounter

Cathy Shen
Dec 31, 20256 min read


Art Walk with Cathy
In September 2025, I decided to work with the Art and Beyond club to organize a themed art exhibition. Before curating, I conducted a survey to better understand everyone's needs and thoughts. You can access the detailed content by visiting https://www.artsandbeyond.net/art-iniative-and-curating/collisionandfusion/survey . The survey found that even though the respondents were primarily art enthusiasts, over 60% still indicated they couldn't frequently participate in art acti

Cathy Shen
Oct 25, 20252 min read


The Secret of Companionship
The Birth of Tragedy ( Die Geburt der Tragödie ) is the first major work by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche , published in 1872 when he was just 27 years old and serving as a professor of classical philology at the University of Basel. Though initially met with hostile reviews from the academic establishment, it has since become one of the most influential works in aesthetics, philosophy, and literary criticism. Companionship is not merely a matter between people of t

Cathy Shen
Sep 28, 20253 min read


Journey to Okinawa—Okinawa Prefectural Museum, Art Museum and Glassmaking
In February 2025, I paid a trip to Okinawa, Japan . This journey offered both laughter and inspiration. Okinawa, Japan's tropical...

Cathy Shen
Sep 19, 20255 min read


Research—The Fundamental Paradox
Las Meninas Artist Diego Velázquez Year 1656 Medium Oil on canvas Dimensions 318 cm × 276 cm (125.2 in × 108.7 in) Location Museo del...

Cathy Shen
Sep 8, 20254 min read


Research—Bosch's 'Adoration of the Magi' (c. 1485-1500)
Bosch's 'Adoration of the Magi' (c. 1485-1500), housed in Madrid's Prado Museum, is a triptych featuring grisaille outer panels depicting...

Cathy Shen
Aug 13, 20253 min read


Research—Disguised Symbolism in The Arnolfini Portrait
Jan van Eyck, detail from The Arnolfini Portrait Jan van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait of 1434 stands as one of the Northern Renaissance's...

Cathy Shen
Aug 11, 20253 min read


Research—The Arnolfini Portrait
Van Eyck as Witness to the Marriage Ceremony The artist's presence in the scene extends beyond his role as painter, as evidenced by the...

Cathy Shen
Aug 8, 20253 min read

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