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Elisabeth de Brabant is proof that a house is more than just
four walls and a roof, because if you ask her about her first six
months living in Shanghai, she'll tell you she wasn't all that sold
on the city.
Trapped in a large, draughty house with intermittent hot water
supplies, she found it difficult to muster the enthusiasm she now
so clearly possesses about her adopted home.
The turning point in her Shanghai story came when she stumbled
across an art deco villa, in the process of being restored by a
famous London architect and Hong Kong couple. There was plenty of
interest in the property, the reasons for which are many, but her
determination and persistence paid off in the end.
Six months after arriving, Shanghai suddenly seemed like a very
different place. Not least of which reasons for this was her new
home.
It's easy to see how a home like hers could have such a
tremendous impact. Not only is it full of light, spacious, stylish
and like something fresh from the pages of Vogue Living magazine,
it is filled with some of the most stunning pieces of contemporary
Chinese art imaginable.
De Brabant is the co-director of Art Scene China, which was
started in 1997 by her business partner, Sami Wafa in Hong
Kong.
Art Scene China has been expanding as rapidly as China's
contemporary art scene itself, and today has three galleries in
Shanghai alone, the biggest of which is located in the Suzhou Creek
area on Moganshan Road.
Originally from the United States, de Brabant says Shanghai's
art world is currently in the process of some very exciting
developments.
"What's really excellent about Shanghai is that it's like New
York in its young stages, and there's a feeling that you can do
anything," says de Brabant.
The open minded, flexible and rapidly changing atmosphere mean
this affable woman is presented with opportunities to work on
projects she might never have fathomed being a part of
elsewhere.
Meeting with directors from the National Gallery and the MoMA as
part of Art Scene's work in China, de Brabant says the openness of
people in Shanghai is one of the things she likes best about living
here.
"It's wonderful. I get the chance to meet with incredible people
here in Shanghai," she says.
It was her passion for art which eventually helped her win over
the owners of the villa she was so excited by, when she promised to
use the space as a gallery of sorts.
In the dining area adjoining the living room, de Brabant
displays some breathtaking pieces.
Works such as Hung Liu's "Red River," John Biao's "Cafe" and
photographs from Zhu Hao currently feature in the space, but de
Brabant says she likes to rotate the art on display regularly.
More contemporary Chinese art features throughout the rest of
the house, lending a personal and inviting feel to the fantastic
but classic environs created.
Located in an enclave off Huaihai Road, the lane house is
nestled amongst a neighborhood with a distinctly Chinese feel.
Interestingly, de Brabant points out there are no blinds or
curtains in any room. It's somewhat voyeuristic to take pleasure in
glimpsing the surrounds in which this home is placed, but then this
is what living in China is all about.
Neighbors share, private and public space is merged and people,
for the most part, bond in their small local enclaves, regardless
of whether they are foreign or Chinese.
The real beauty of this home, from the art that adorns its walls
to the cheeky views from its windows, is its congruity with its
surrounds. And the wonderful thing about its owners, is their
appreciation of how lucky this makes them.
(Shanghai Daily March 13, 2006)
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