RAM Highlights 2022: The Good Life

From September 29 to November 20, 2022, Rockbund Art Museum (RAM) will host the fifth edition of its annual program RAM Highlights: The Good Life (tgl). In addition to the space of RAM, this year’s RAM Highlights will extend its presentation and events to two other historic buildings on the Bund, namely the Ampire & Co. building and ZA · Andrews & George building located within a one-block radius of the museum.

Conceived during the spring lockdown in Shanghai, tgl intends to reconsider the sociality of art institutions and their relationships with different communities. The concept of “the good life” is not new; rather, it’s somewhat oversaturated and arguably dated. But the extended lockdown has pushed people to reconsider and reflect upon it. By interrogating the utility of this foggy concept in contemporary rituals, life practices, and social theories, this year’s RAM Highlights hopes to foster dialogues with different communities, inspiring new narratives of what a “contemplative, productive, or otherwise satisfactory life” is.

Participants of tgl include artists, designers, scholars, writers, poets, dancers, musicians, and chefs. Apart from local participants, we also invite practitioners from 16 other localities. According to X Zhu-Nowell, chief curator of the program, “Participants question the integrity of ‘the good life’ from culturally and geographically divergent points of view. No two works will engage exactly the same visions, assumptions, or critiques about what ‘the good life is, [or where it’s located], grounding the vague, socio-democratic promises often associated with this idea to specific ethical and economic cross-currents, which flow, frenetically or systemically, at this moment in history.”

Unlike previous editions, RAM Highlights 2022: The Good Life is divided into two parts: installations and happenings. Ampire & Co. building will mainly stage installations, and happenings will take place primarily on the first floor of ZA—Andrews & George building.The Good Life is organized by X Zhu-Nowell, with the support of Xu Tiantian, Curator and Karen Wang, Curatorial Assistant, and Wang Chao, Senior Exhibition Specialist. Happenings is co-curated by Xu Tiantian and Zheng Peihan, Education Manager, with the assistance of Karen Wang and Yu Liaochang, Education Specialist.

Through different perspectives and approaches, 16 installations will unfold in 16 chapters throughout the buildings. Happenings will take place during the seven weeks of the program, and over 30 events will be presented, such as performances, workshops, and lectures. RAM designed a series of unique viewing experiences for the audience, with the guidebook as the primary support material throughout the project. Additionally, guided tours will be provided every day, with a specific focus on tgl and the architectural histories of the Bund. The RAM team will lead the Walk and Talk series with invited scholars every Friday. The museum will also have extended hours every Friday from 10pm–4am for the Night @ RAM experience.

Participants
_ao_ao_ing ensemble, 44 Monthly, Adrián Villar-Rojas, BallaD, Dong Longyue, Every Ocean Hughes, Farah Al Qasimi, Fong Fo, Frederick Cruz Nowell, Goutam Ghosh, Heman Chong, Hugh Hayden, Hu Jiayi, Irena Haiduk, Jason Havneraas, Jonathas de Andrade, Khek Dhang Ke, L-square Performing Arts (Lian Guodong and Lei Yan), Li Shuang, littlecub, NZTT Sewing Co-op, OO ZONE, Saodat Ismailova, Sun Xun, Xu Zhe