For David Chan, who runs the Shanghai Gallery of Art at Three on the Bund,
every moment of the day is a bit of poetry.

Morning

6:45am Wake up to my alarm clock-feels colder today.
6:47 Get up and open the door to the sitting room to be greeted by Xiao Xiao, my mother-in-law’s dog. We’re looking after her while my mother-in-law in Japan. She knows it’s time for her walk and is frantically wagging her tail.
7:16 Back home with a happy dog, I put the kettle on and lay out the breakfast table.
8:00 Daily Bible reading. It’s best to read passages with a rested mind.
8:15 Sit down to cereal and fruit with my wife.

Patience

8:35 It starts raining as I leave the house. I finally get a taxi and I’m on my way to the Shanghai Gallery of Art.
8:55 Stuck in a traffic jam: patience! I look out the window and notice that today’s fog is softening the city’s bold outlines. I see a cherry blossom next to a power line. Spring’s on its way.
9:47 I arrive at the gallery where I review the current exhibition again, something I do with all exhibitions. I like to think of how the individual works relate to the overall exhibition and how I could utilize the space differently.

Portable Art

11:06 I meet with with Xu Tan, an artist from Zhuhai, who has recently come back from exhibiting in New York. We discuss a new project he is working on that will be exhibited at the Guangdong Museum of Art in May. The idea is to use cheap material, such as the red, blue and white plastic-based material used to make the bags carried by migrant workers, to make a portable tent that will travel from one exhibition to another. I feel Xu Tan is typical of many Chinese artists of today: so transient. He spends one third of his time outside China working on international projects in Europe or in residency programs elsewhere, and only spends two thirds of his time actually in his home country.

Eating

12:46pm Walk to a sandwich shop in the area. Have an idea for a new art project which will involve promoting contemporary art in a public space. I think everyone should be given the freedom to enjoy art.
12:50 Arrive at sandwich shop and order a ham and cheese sandwich which I promptly tuck into.

Details

2:10 Meet with the management of Three on the Bund to discuss exhibition costs.
2:48 Gallery staff meeting. We go through plans and preparations for the gallery’s upcoming new media show in May-”The End Has No End ¡“ The title was taken from the new media artwork by Du Zhejun.

Investigation

3:15 Head to an artist’s home in the Moganshan Lu area for a studio visit. This is a great way to understand the artist and his or her work. I always check out their bookshelves to see what they are reading. This helps me to understand the artist’s interests and is a good starting point for coming up with an original concept for an exhibition.

Guests

5:30 Back to the gallery at Three on the Bund. The gallery has a panoramic view of the ever-changing skyline of the Bund and Pudong. A light layer of fog envelops the buildings in the near distance.
5:35 Make a phone call to a long-time collector. Operating a gallery isn’t just about selling art, but about maintaining long-term and trustworthy relationships with collectors. We exchange stories about the Chinese art world, discuss the outcome of a recent auction in Hong Kong, as well as talk about what constitutes quality art.
5:50 A museum group from the United States arrives at the gallery. I give them a quick tour around the gallery and explain what’s going on in the contemporary art scene in China. They are very curious about China and eager to learn more about emerging artists and what they have to offer.
6:25 Have a drink with a gallerist from abroad at New Heights, on the seventh floor of Three on the Bund.

Hot Pot

7:38 Leave the gallery and head to a hot pot restaurant in Xujiahui, my wife’s favorite!
9:05 After dinner, my wife and I walk back home.

Home

9:32 Take Xiao Xiao for her evening walk round the block.
10:00 Put on some music and discuss what happened during the day with my wife.
11:30 Time for bed. Even Xiao Xiao’s looking sleepy.

VERDICT

Sotheby’s sold over US$50 million worth of Chinese contemporary art at a recent auction in Hong Kong, including a Zhang Xiaogang for a record US$6 million. David, who directs one of the trendiest galleries in Shanghai, doesn’t seem particularly worried that the market will destroy the soul of art. “It’s not necessarily a bad thing,” he says. “A booming market creates more opportunities for emerging and young artists. Artists need to maintain a certain distance from the market. Good artists will stand the test of time.” Disagree? Tell David what you think at www.cityweekend.com.cn/dayinthelifeSH.