A temporary museum in the form of a public wall

A mural that measures almost 100 meters long has emerged on Hengshan Road in downtown Shanghai.

The artwork features illustrations of magnolia, the city flower of Shanghai, iconic movie stars and signature images in art history. Lin Zinan, the artist, took about 10 days to complete the mural.

"My studio is just around the corner so I am quite familiar with Hengshan Road," he said. "Here, the new and old co-exist in harmony. The interesting shops and relaxing atmosphere here is quite inspiring."

Lin has been living and working in Shanghai for more than five years. He was born in Chaozhou, Guangdong province, and studied Chinese painting. He has been working on public art since 2002 when he fell in love with graffiti.

In the 1930s, the Shanghai branch of EMI Records was located on Hengshan Road where China's first recording studio was built. As China's first pop idols emerged from this studio, Lin decided to include their portraits on the wall.

He recalled that dozens of people would come up to him every day with questions or compliments while he was painting the mural.

"Some of them were curious about what I was painting, some recognized characters I painted from a movie they've seen and some even asked how much I was paid for the job," he said.

"You usually go to a gallery or museum to see art but now we're bringing art right in front of you, in the street. It is more powerful and inspirational," he added.

Built in the 1920s, Hengshan Road is part of the former French Concession which was originally named Avenue Petain. In the 1990s, a large number of pubs and bars mushroomed along the street where the consulates of foreign nations and the residences of their consul generals could be found. Today, the road and the nearby communities have become a heritage zone that is home to many historical buildings.

The wall that the mural is on forms the enclosure of the construction site of No 8 Hengshan Road. The wall will be torn down by the end of 2018 to reveal a new commercial compound named Beaux Arts Arena which will occupy a space of 50,000 square meters and will include a vintage garden and water tower dating back to the 1920s.

"It will be a community of lifestyle and art," said Edmund Yang, co-founder of the project.

According to Yang, the mural is part of "The Wall" project which aims to turn the wall into an open art space for the public. The mural will be on exhibition for three months before more public art projects, such as interactive installations and LED displays, take its place.

zhangkun@chinadaily.com.cn