On November 3, 2021, at the Shanghai Exhibition Center, I attended the most important and largest photography art expo in the Asia-Pacific region, the Shanghai Art Fair. After being affected by the pandemic in 2020, this photography exhibition returned from November 3 to 6 in 2021.
As the co-presenting partner of “Image Shanghai”, Porsche joined hands for the fourth time with this annual visual event, launching the “Between Remembrance and Momentum – Porsche’s 20th Anniversary in Mainland China” themed exhibition as the closing celebration event during its brand anniversary. Through five display areas and stunning light projections, Porsche showcased its classic legacy, innovative spirit, and its connection with art to more Chinese consumers. In addition, Porsche also cooperated with documentary photographer Liu Xiangcheng, as well as British art critic and curator Karen Smith, to plan the “Shanghai Century: Shanghai Spirit” documentary film exhibition, tracing the rapidly changing urban landscape and social environment of Shanghai in recent decades.
While viewing the photographic works, there were two pieces that particularly moved me.
The first one was of the Panamera on top of the Shanghai Tower.
In 2009, the first-generation Porsche Panamera chose the 94th floor of the 470-meter-high Shanghai Tower for its debut. The most whimsical part of this press conference was how to fit the first Panamera into the elevator. German engineers had measured the size inside the elevator of the Shanghai Tower beforehand, and then specially designed a hydraulic cargo platform that could be used vertically. They almost fit the Panamera seamlessly inside the elevator.
Porsche solved the problem of a press conference through rigorous and careful engineering thinking, which in itself was a kind of comfortable performance art. The untold behind-the-scenes story of a marketing event makes me experience the most successful sports car maker’s persistence with detail 12 years later. Similarly, I cannot help but sigh with the digitization and global pandemic.The second picture shows Carrefour taken from the Wuning Road Bridge spanning the Suzhou River. The European-style renovation of the Wuning Road Bridge and the Parisian street scene painted on Carrefour have been part of my daily school route during most of my middle and high school years. Although chances of passing by now are slim, the ability to reflect on the past through imagery is perhaps one of the charms of photography.
For Porsche, “Imaging Shanghai” is a display platform as well as an opportunity to pay tribute to the past and embrace the future. The balance point between the “past” and the “future” has always been Porsche’s belief to pursue. The future is hidden within the classics, while the classics are the source of the future. Take the 911 for example, rear-wheel drive is not a perfect driving form, but Porsche has made continuous technological improvements and pursued practicality, which has made this car, which was once very demanding of technology, increasingly easier to drive and still able to compete with other competitors.
In keeping with this notion, “Between Memories – Porsche’s 20th Anniversary in Mainland China” is a unique commemorative exhibition planned by Porsche on the basis of its cooperation with “Imaging Shanghai” in the past, taking advantage of the 20th anniversary of its entry into mainland China. The exhibition includes five themed display areas: “Looking Back,” “Daring,” “Tempered,” “Creating,” and “Innovating.” It brings together milestone models such as the 911 Turbo S Porsche China 20th Anniversary Edition, the Porsche classic supercar 918 Spyder, and the latest pure electric concept car Mission R that interprets the present and the future. Along with the Porsche 911 cutaway and other extraordinary works, it showcases the 20-year achievement of Porsche in mainland China, highlighting Porsche’s profound brand heritage, innovative brand spirit, passionate brand culture, and forward-looking brand beliefs.
🔗Source: Porsche China
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.