Capturing memories of the past

With old, enlarged newspapers from the early 20th century hanging this way and that, stepping out onto the lawn in front of Edo Art Museum at Zhongshan Park is enough to convey feelings of nostalgia.

Selected collections of photographed portraits, audio installations, screening videos and historic documents are on display inside the museum designed as an old teahouse, where the works of Shanghainese artist Deke Erh are being showcased at the ongoing exhibition Deke Erh's Archive Oral and Visual Documentary.

Deke Erh, or Er Dongqiang as named by his parents, began his career as a journalist before turning to professional photography some 30 years ago. Considered a pioneer in the concept of visual documentation in China, Erh has deeply devoted himself to the history and cultural roots of Western-influenced Shanghai and modern China, publishing several books on the subject, including A Last Look - Western Architecture in Old Shanghai, Art Deco in Shanghai and Shanghai - A Bird's Eye View.

The same intrigue with the subject is evident here at the museum with his latest works, which are divided into several sections - from the oral documentary of tea-drinkers in Zhujiajiao watertown, the family albums of teachers and students from Shanghai American School (SAS), speeches by Hu Shi (1891-1962), a famous Chinese scholar, and the ongoing project of finding graduates from some of the city's former missionary schools.

Belonging to the upcoming ninth Shanghai Biennale's special initiative project "Zhongshan Park Project," Erh's exhibition that opened earlier this month has received much attention for its display focused on Shanghai American School in particular, which puts the lens on 86 former teachers and students.

Back to school

An entire wall of the show room is plastered with the portraits of ex-teachers and students from the international school, with current portraits beside the old school photos from years ago.

Since 2008, Erh has been interviewing teachers and students who attended the school from 1937 to 1949, retaking their pictures in Shanghai and the US where their school reunions are held. The portraits are taken from his 2012 book Deke Erh and 86 Shanghai American School Students and Teachers 1937-1949.

First attracted to the subject by the rebuilding of the former Shanghai American School located on Hengshan Road in the 1980s, when he was documenting Western architectures in Shanghai, Erh learned then that it was the elementary school where his father learnt fluent English. From then on, Erh began collecting the old SAS yearbooks from flea markets on weekends hoping to find his father's records. Instead, he found those pertaining to many alumni from his father's generation.

After coincidentally meeting SAS alumni Teddy Heinrichsohn, Erh, touched by his legendary life experiences, was determined to create an album detailing the stories of the group of SAS graduates.

Among them, there are missionaries, doctors, merchants, teachers and consular officials. Some of them even constituted the third or fourth generation of their family in China. "From what they told me and through the family photographs they gave me, I saw how Westerners in China in the last 150 years lived," Erh told the Global Times.

After class

Erh's newest quest seeks to find more graduates from missionary schools and universities in Shanghai. "I'm now working on seeking graduates from University of Shanghai, Aurora University and St John's University in Shanghai," Erh told the Global Times.

So far, Erh has unearthed dozens of graduates, mostly Chinese, from the schools. Their Chinese and English names, along with their majors ranging from English, economics to political science, are listed below their portraits.

Park power

Witnessing roughly 100 years of social change in the city, the well-preserved Zhongshan Park, the site of the museum, is also a source of inspiration for one of Erh's works on display. Dedicated to the theme of this year's approaching Shanghai Biennale, "Reactivation," Erh's rediscovery of historic city memories in this photographic timeline of the park over the years aims to "provide the fuel for the regeneration of cultural heritage," he said.

Qiu Zhijie, chief curator of the 2012 Shanghai Biennale, also a professor at China Academy of Art, said that the Zhongshan Park Project, represents a reflection of the collected memories of urban residents and of the classical and modern techniques for forging group identity.

"Erh is more than just an artist," said Qiu. "With extremely strong will, a tender heart and great patience, he manages to form a dialogue with disappearing subjects and never stops gathering information or collecting documents."

Erh's exhibit overlaps with the ninth Shanghai Biennale as the event gets underway in December at the new Shanghai Contemporary Art Museum (Powerstation of Art), which sits inside an industrial building that was once a thermal power plant at the former Expo Park.

Date: Until December 26, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm (closed on Mondays)

Venue: Shanghai Edo Art Museum 上海依東美術博物館

Address: 1562 Wanhangdu Road, Gate 3 of Zhongshan Park

萬航渡路1562號中山公園三號門內

Admission: Free

Call 5239-9065 for details