Arario Gallery Reopens Shanghai Space with Fluid in Forms Featuring 10 Artists from Korea, China, and Japan
Jason Yim / Published March 25, 2025 09:59 PM
Jason Yim
Courtesy of the Arario Gallery
Arario Gallery has officially reopened its Shanghai branch on March 19, 2025, marking a new chapter in its longstanding commitment to fostering contemporary art in Asia. Located in the Jing’an District along the Suzhou River—an area renowned for its rich historical and cultural heritage—the reopening signals the gallery’s renewed ambition to deepen its regional presence and advance its curatorial discourse in East Asia.
The new space inaugurates its program with the group exhibition Fluid in Forms, curated by Liang Qing. Running through May 11, 2025, the exhibition brings together ten artists from Korea, China, and Japan whose practices reflect a multiplicity of perspectives on form, identity, and transformation. This carefully selected lineup includes Kim Byoungho, Kim Inbai, Lee Jeongbae, Lee Seung Ae, Lim Nosik, Chen Yufan, Chen Yujun, Hu Yun, Pocono Zhao Yu, and Kohei Yamada.
Fluid in Forms is conceptually anchored in the notion of “form” as something neither fixed nor stable. Instead, it presents form as a dynamic construct—constantly reshaped by cultural, psychological, and political forces. The exhibition explores how contemporary artists navigate the shifting contours of meaning and materiality through painting, sculpture, installation, and mixed media practices. Each work serves as a vessel for interpreting individual and collective transformation across borders.
Courtesy of the Arario Gallery
The participation of multiple generations of artists enables an intergenerational dialogue that deepens the exhibition’s thematic resonance. Kim Byoungho and Kim Inbai—two artists well known for their explorations in sculpture and conceptual abstraction—provide structural counterpoints to the more fluid, narrative-based approaches of younger artists like Lim Nosik and Kohei Yamada. Meanwhile, the Chen brothers—Chen Yufan and Chen Yujun—continue their practice of mapping emotional geographies and interior landscapes, offering nuanced reflections on memory and mobility in post-socialist China.
Japanese artist Kohei Yamada, the youngest participant, brings a distinctive voice to the show through hybrid works that blend digital technology with traditional aesthetics. His contribution underlines the curatorial aim of dissolving boundaries between medium, region, and generation.
The reopening of Arario Gallery Shanghai also reflects broader trends in the global art market, where Asian galleries are reasserting their curatorial leadership amid shifting geopolitical and economic currents. Having previously operated a space in Shanghai from 2005 to 2010, Arario’s return underscores a strategic reengagement with China’s rapidly evolving contemporary art scene.
Founded in 1989, Arario Gallery has consistently championed cross-cultural dialogue and experimentation through its spaces in Seoul, Cheonan, and Shanghai. The reopening of the Shanghai location in 2025 not only celebrates its 20-year history of engagement with China but also signals its continued commitment to cultivating future-forward platforms for artistic exchange across Asia.
Sayart / Jason Yim, yimjongho1969@gmail.com
Courtesy of the Arario Gallery
Arario Gallery has officially reopened its Shanghai branch on March 19, 2025, marking a new chapter in its longstanding commitment to fostering contemporary art in Asia. Located in the Jing’an District along the Suzhou River—an area renowned for its rich historical and cultural heritage—the reopening signals the gallery’s renewed ambition to deepen its regional presence and advance its curatorial discourse in East Asia.
The new space inaugurates its program with the group exhibition Fluid in Forms, curated by Liang Qing. Running through May 11, 2025, the exhibition brings together ten artists from Korea, China, and Japan whose practices reflect a multiplicity of perspectives on form, identity, and transformation. This carefully selected lineup includes Kim Byoungho, Kim Inbai, Lee Jeongbae, Lee Seung Ae, Lim Nosik, Chen Yufan, Chen Yujun, Hu Yun, Pocono Zhao Yu, and Kohei Yamada.
Fluid in Forms is conceptually anchored in the notion of “form” as something neither fixed nor stable. Instead, it presents form as a dynamic construct—constantly reshaped by cultural, psychological, and political forces. The exhibition explores how contemporary artists navigate the shifting contours of meaning and materiality through painting, sculpture, installation, and mixed media practices. Each work serves as a vessel for interpreting individual and collective transformation across borders.
Courtesy of the Arario Gallery
The participation of multiple generations of artists enables an intergenerational dialogue that deepens the exhibition’s thematic resonance. Kim Byoungho and Kim Inbai—two artists well known for their explorations in sculpture and conceptual abstraction—provide structural counterpoints to the more fluid, narrative-based approaches of younger artists like Lim Nosik and Kohei Yamada. Meanwhile, the Chen brothers—Chen Yufan and Chen Yujun—continue their practice of mapping emotional geographies and interior landscapes, offering nuanced reflections on memory and mobility in post-socialist China.
Japanese artist Kohei Yamada, the youngest participant, brings a distinctive voice to the show through hybrid works that blend digital technology with traditional aesthetics. His contribution underlines the curatorial aim of dissolving boundaries between medium, region, and generation.
The reopening of Arario Gallery Shanghai also reflects broader trends in the global art market, where Asian galleries are reasserting their curatorial leadership amid shifting geopolitical and economic currents. Having previously operated a space in Shanghai from 2005 to 2010, Arario’s return underscores a strategic reengagement with China’s rapidly evolving contemporary art scene.
Founded in 1989, Arario Gallery has consistently championed cross-cultural dialogue and experimentation through its spaces in Seoul, Cheonan, and Shanghai. The reopening of the Shanghai location in 2025 not only celebrates its 20-year history of engagement with China but also signals its continued commitment to cultivating future-forward platforms for artistic exchange across Asia.
