Ngahina Hohaia, Brett Graham, Shannon Te Ao and Luke Willis Thompson in the 15th Shanghai Biennale: ‘Does the Flower Hear the Bee?’ at The Powerstation of Art

15th Shanghai Biennale: Does the Flower Hear the Bee?
Ngahina Hohaia, Brett Graham, Shannon Te Ao and Luke Willis Thompson
11 August 2025 – 31 March 2026

Power Station of Art
678 Miaojiang Road, Huangpu District
Shanghai, 200011.

@powerstationofart

The Office for Contemporary Art Aotearoa is pleased to announce that for the first time since the inauguration of the Shanghai Biennale in 1996, four artists from Aotearoa are participating in the curated exhibition, opening at the Power Station of Art, Shanghai, on Saturday 8 November and continuing until 31 March 2026.

Ngahina Hohaia, Brett Graham, Shannon Te Ao and Luke Willis Thompson will each present works in the Biennale following a research visit by Chief Curator, Kitty Scott, to Aotearoa in February 2025.

The Shanghai Biennale is China’s longest running contemporary art biennale, and is recognised as one of the most influential art events both in Asia and globally. Over five months more than 400,000 people will visit the exhibition and more than 5,000 VIP guests will attend the Opening Weekend in November.

Read the Full Press Release Here

15th Shanghai Biennale: Does the Flower Hear the Bee?

This edition of the Biennale will feature over 250 works by 67 individual artists and collectives from China and around the world, taking its cue from recent scientific discoveries about the interactions between different life forms. Like the flower that “hears” the bee’s wings, this exhibition aims to operate at the intersection of differing models of intelligence, both human and nonhuman. It is based on the belief that recent art provides us with a privileged space for such investigations, offering an embodied and interconnected sphere in which communities may form stronger bonds with what eco-philosopher David Abram has called “the more-than-human world.”

We live in a moment of great uncertainty and global emergency that has given rise to a widespread sense of disorientation. Our world is transforming at a pace that eludes our capacity for comprehension, leaving us feeling bewildered and uncertain. If a return to the past is impossible, art offers us potential pathways out of despair and malaise, helping us to find emergent forms-of-life and new modes of sensorial communication amid this instability.

Conceived in dialogue with the ideas of artists, curators, intellectuals, musicians, poets, scientists, and writers, Does the flower hear the bee? recognizes that much depends on our capacity to sense the world around us and attune ourselves to its diverse array of intelligences. Its hopeful vision rests on art’s ability to orient us towards an unknown future.

Participating artists (listed in alphabetical order by last name):

Kim Adams, Abbas Akhavan, Allora & Calzadilla, Francis Alÿs, Ryoko Aoki, Carmen Argote, Shuvinai Ashoona, Alvaro Barrington, Lêna Bùi, Tania Candiani, Maxime Cavajani, Carolina Caycedo, Chen Ruofan, Cheng Xinhao, Sara Cwynar, Dan Er, Rohini Devasher, Miguel Fernández de Castro, Cristina Flores Pescorán, Theaster Gates, Abraham González Pacheco, Brett Graham, Hao Liang, d harding, Ho Tzu Nyen, Ngahina Hohaia, Hu Xiaoyuan, Huang Yongping, Ulala Imai, Aki Inomata, Brian Jungen, Lotus L. Kang, Amar Kanwar, Christine Sun Kim, Ragnar Kjartansson, Jaffa Lam, Lina Lapelytė, Liu Shuai, Sharon Lockhart, Liz Magor, Gordon Matta-Clark, Ari Benjamin Meyers, Audie Murray, Kosen Ohtsubo, Christian Kōun Alborz Oldham, Lisa Oppenheim, Plant South Salesroom, Qiu Shihua, R. H. Quaytman, Walid Raad, Shao Chun, Shao Fan, Heji Shin, Tan Jing, Shannon Te Ao, Luke Willis Thompson, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Gözde Mimiko Türkkan, Hajra Waheed, Evelyn Taocheng Wang, Xu Tiantian, Ami Yamasaki, Haegue Yang, Masaomi Yasunaga, Cansu Yıldıran, Gozo Yoshimasu, Zhou Tao

• Maxime Cavajani and Theaster Gates participate in the Biennale’s City Project at the Jia Yuan Hai Art Museum. The works of Rirkrit Tiravanija, Chen Ruofan, and Zhou Tao are on display at both the Power Station of Art and the Biennale’s City Project at the Jia Yuan Hai Art Museum. Liu Shuai participates in the Biennale’s City Project at the Jia Yuan Hai Art Museum and VILLA tbh, Shanghai.

About the Shanghai Biennale

Launched in 1996, the Shanghai Biennale is not only the first international biennial of contemporary art in Chinese mainland but also one of the most influential art events in Asia. In 2012, the Power Station of Art became the organizer and permanent venue of the Shanghai Biennale. From Open Space in 1996, to Inheritance and Exploration in 1998, Spirit of Shanghai in 2000, Urban Creation in 2002, Techniques of the Visible in 2004, Hyper Design in 2006, Translocalmotion in 2008, Rehearsal in 2010, Reactivation in 2012, Social Factory in 2014, Why Not Ask Again in 2016, Proregress in 2018, Bodies of Water in 2020, and Cosmos Cinema in 2023, the Biennale has always maintained Shanghai as its primary locus, upholding the mission of supporting academic and cultural innovation, while continuously tracking social evolution and trends in knowledge production in a global context with an open view. Taking place in Shanghai every two years, the Biennale has also become a large-scale platform for the international presence and exchange of contemporary art.

About the Shanghai Biennale City Projects

As a unique urban event and cultural landmark, the Shanghai Biennale has long been committed to enabling active dialogues between contemporary art and the booming city of Shanghai. First launched in 2012, the Biennale’s City Projects interact with public spaces such as exhibition pavilions, cinemas, and cultural centers, mobilizing local actors to explore the regional context through shows, screenings, field surveys, and workshops. This program aims to extend the Biennale beyond the museum and establish a closer relationship with the city’s residents and its cultural ecology.

About the Power Station of Art (PSA)

Established on Oct 1, 2012, the Power Station of Art (PSA) is the first state-run contemporary art museum in Chinese mainland. It is also home to the Shanghai Biennale. Formerly the Nanshi Power Plant, the now renovated PSA was once the Pavilion of Future during the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. Having witnessed Shanghai’s transformation from the industrial age to the digital era, the museum’s raw architecture has provided rich inspiration for artists. As a central hub for Shanghai’s booming urban culture, PSA is committed to innovation and progress as keys to its long-term vitality. The museum aims to provide an interface for the public to come into contact with and appreciate contemporary art, to break down the barrier between life and art, and to promote cooperation and knowledge production across diverse fields of arts and culture.

To find more exhibitions around the world by New Zealand artists, see listings on ArtNow.NZ on this link.