The 15th Shanghai Biennale, titled 'Code Switching,' has opened at the Power Station of Art (PSA). The exhibition, centered on the theme of what hears and what can be heard, features immersive installations like Allora & Calzadilla's floating yellow synthetic flowers in the atrium, which create a striking yet artificial environment that visitors eagerly photograph. The experience is framed by promotional gestures, such as free manuka honey samples, blurring lines between art, commerce, and audience participation.
The biennale's exploration of 'differing models of intelligence' critically examines contemporary relationships between humans, nature, and technology. It positions the art museum as a potential site of salvation in a confusing world, while simultaneously highlighting how both visitors and artworks are instrumentalized within global capitalist and promotional systems. The review suggests the exhibition successfully code-switches between profound inquiry and overt spectacle, questioning the roles of art and institutions in today's society.