Meanwhile, Jiu Society's multimedia installation Lost in Shenzhen takes over Gallery 2. The society comprises three young artists – Fang Di, Ji Hao and Jin Haofan. The trio creates work about the collective experience of the city, characterised by burgeoning economic growth, rapid urban regeneration and a coalescence of cultures. As the first generation to be born and raised in Shenzhen after China's economic reforms, they have witnessed the transformation of the Pearl River Delta megalopolis, newly rechristened the Greater Bay Area, which comprises the rapidly developing cities of Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Zhuhai alongside Hong Kong.
Lost in Shenzhen consists of neon lights, sculptures, photographs and short films housed within the installation Shenzhen Grand Hotel, an imaginative recreation of hotels built from the 1980s to 1990s that catered to migrant labourers and sex workers. By using lucid colours and kitsch imagery, the installation partly mocks the absurdity and seediness of such establishments while simultaneously provoking nostalgia. Lost in Shenzhen offers a fresh perspective on the life of Chinese megacities by illustrating both the marvel and chaos contained within.
The future of our cities, it seems, is a fascinating and fearful study of what lies ahead for humans in urban spaces as we become ever more technopolitan.
