He Juxing：I witness gold-paved Shanghai

－ Written on the Opening of START Museum Inaugural Exhibition Season Four and the 900th Day of START

We will all grow old, and even the things we’ve said and done will fade away like dust. But the city will live on, and it needs a space like START Museum. This is the conviction behind its establishment.

I once said: The aesthetics of a city are framed. A city proves that it lives brightly and vibrantly by pushing the boundaries of its imagination, because imagination is the wings of the soul. Without imagination, the soul is as good as dead.

I created this museum specifically for this city. At its opening, I said: START Museum blossomed from the soil of Shanghai, and it aspires to flow past people like water. Therefore, my belief will not be hidden by the shadows of real politics. I even accept any form of obstruction, harm, doubt, or indifference– as long as my body and conviction remain, this endeavor will never cease.

900 days of START. Every day, our professional team has been working tirelessly like gears in a machine, and we have functioned like a laboratory for an artistic era, pouring our accumulated passion, experience, and talent into nurturing our cause. We have successively launched seven long-term practice series, including: “Screening Project”, “Genealogy Study of Artists”, “Zero-Degree Sculpture Project”, “Urban Artist Archives”, “Long Table Discussions”, “Timeline Publishing Program”, and “The History of World Art Since the 1960s”. The foundational mission of the museum and its unwavering social responsibility are evident to all.

900 days of START. START Museum has staged “START,” “Thus Spoke the Moment,” “Frontier,” and “I witness gold-paved Shanghai,” featuring more than 200 of the most cutting-edge and forward-thinking artists from both China and abroad, participating in discussions on the historical perspective of artists and their roles in society. The fundamental questions about art, such as personality and freedom, the boundaries of an artist’s creation, and what constitutes art and who is an artist, are examined, and the structural characteristics and historical changes in world art from the 1960s onwards are all represented, highlighting the significant trends, and far-reaching impact they have had on the art world.

900 days of START. Today, we are presenting “I witness gold-paved Shanghai,” the fourth installment of START Museum’s inaugural exhibition. This title was chosen during the planning stages of the four-part exhibition series, though it has nothing to do with the concept of “golden-paved roads.” Nevertheless, the idea of “witnessing” a truly magnificent Shanghai is entirely plausible. Through this multifaceted title, I aim to initiate a discussion about whether we should reexamine the fundamental questions of “who is an artist?” and “what is art?” We are presenting this extensive exhibition, which will run for half a year, to you, our contemporaries—be you so-called scholars or artists within art culture circles, or any other individuals who have received a modern education. I urge you to put aside your accumulated knowledge and methodological approaches to art and to question the truths that you have long taken for granted. Together with the other three sections of the inaugural exhibition series, which have already been completed, we invite you to engage with the works on display and explore a broader range of perspectives and discussions.

900 days of START. I have been chronicling a condensed historical narrative that encapsulates the intersection of art, society, politics, and the human spirit. It has taken me three years to meticulously plan and execute four inaugural exhibitions, each carrying with it a clear and unwavering symbolic meaning and point of view, thus setting the foundation for a reputable international professional art museum with a distinctive vision. START Museum, as an experimental institution, is not bound by the conventional experiences of international art museums—rather, it is a repository of the historical interactions between people, art, and politics. Furthermore, the endeavors undertaken by START Museum must be approached with a pioneering spirit, embracing the possibility of making mistakes, and never emulating others. While this path may be fraught with challenges, we remain resolute, confident that with hard work and perseverance, we can overcome any obstacles and continue to grow.

(Written on the morning of June 30, 2025)