Rockbund Art Museum (RAM) is delighted to present the 2nd Specialist Guided Tour of the group exhibition "The Great Camouflage" on Friday, January 30, 2026, from 17:00 to 19:00. Supported by the Octone Foundation and co-organized with the China-Africa Shanghai International Network (CASIN), this event features three distinguished speakers: Dr. Zhang Lifang (Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Tsinghua University), South African poet and writer Lethokuhle Msimang, and musician/composer Wen Liang. The tour will take place on the 1st to 4th floors of RAM, located at 20 Huqiu Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai, with simultaneous interpretation between English and Chinese.
Comprising six sessions in total, the "The Great Camouflage" Specialist Guided Tour series brings together scholars, researchers, and cultural practitioners from Shanghai and around the world. Focusing on core themes including Blackness, feminism, revolutionary history, and cross-cultural exchanges between Black radical traditions and China, the series blends lectures, performances, and walking tours to offer audiences innovative ways to engage with the exhibition. In the 2nd session, Dr. Zhang Lifang and Msimang will kick off with a dialogue exploring human mobility in colonial and decolonial contexts, its impacts on daily cultural practices, labor, and spatial structures, with a special focus on women's lived experiences.
Subsequently, Msimang and Wen Liang will collaborate on the interdisciplinary performance "Soil & Grass". This live show integrates video, music, and poetry, showcasing video footage of three material practices from South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province—pottery-making, palm weaving, and wire basketry—to respond to the dynamics of "camouflage" shaped by climate disasters, migration, and globalization. Msimang will deliver a live recitation of excerpts from her essay "Women Alone Creating", while Wen Liang will perform original live music. By highlighting African craft traditions, this cross-border collaboration transcends video, music, poetry, and national boundaries, fostering a space for cross-cultural resonance without seeking to erase differences. The event will conclude with an open floor discussion, inviting audience participation.
Tickets for the tour are priced at 49 RMB per person, with limited availability. Interested participants are required to scan the QR code at the end of the original event article to purchase tickets. To enhance the experience, attendees are advised to arrive at the museum 30 to 60 minutes in advance to explore the "The Great Camouflage" exhibition (on view from November 6, 2025, to April 26, 2026) prior to the tour. Founded in 2010, Rockbund Art Museum is a non-profit art institution dedicated to reshaping local history, addressing global challenges, and exploring diverse visions of life through bold contemporary art practices. This event continues RAM's mission to deliver intellectually engaging and dialogical cultural experiences to the public.
