Art has stepped out of the confines of traditional paintings, sculptures and calligraphy, and into the public realm. Reporter Wang Jie looks at the progress Shanghai is making to beautify the city with public art In Paris, there is the crystal pyramid entrance at the Louvre and in Copenhagen, there is the beautiful sea maiden sculpture. But what about Shanghai?

　　Nothing comes to mind, but that may soon change. The ongoing exhibition, ``Public Voice -- 2003 Observation of Public Art,'' is raising public awareness about the value of creating a better artistic environment in the city. ``We hope to promote the concept of `public art,' an indispensable part of our daily lives,'' says Michelle Tang, general manager of the Space Art Gallery, venue for the exhibit. Public art was born with urban construction and development in the United States after World War II. The local exhibition displays sculptures, documents and photos of well-known public artworks around the world, such as the street scenes in Paris, San Francisco and Florence. It also involves a debate about what is public art, the art policy of foreign countries and a discussion about construction dealers and artists. ``For most people, public art is just sculptures,'' says Wu Hongliang, one of the gallery curators. ``But today, the concept extends far beyond that. Any artistic objects placed in public space can be categorized. Street lamps, fountains or even chairs in open space are included, which are named as `the city's furniture'. Sometimes we even consider open performances and activities as public art.'' Qiao Qian, a sculptor from Qinghua University, can't think of one signature public artwork in Shanghai. ``This is a pity for a big city like Shanghai which boasts a long history and a high public aesthetic taste,'' he says. Others know of a few examples even though they may be quite rare in such a massive city. ``I like the sculpture featuring an ancient Chinese calculator standing at the Pudong Boulevard,'' says Thomas Wu, a 30-something white-collar worker. ``It is very striking and meaningful. However, unlike some European cities, today's Shanghai lacks an artistic aura that permeates every street corner.'' There's also the sculptures of people in various poses along the Nanjing or Hengshan roads and others scattered throughout the city. It's a nice touch, but far more enough. Those sculptures certainly wouldn't be considered a signature piece distinct to Shanghai either. Wu's thoughts are echoed by Qiao, who believes city planners would serve the public better by focusing more on details, rather than merely putting up sculptures. The trick with public art is that it doesn't have to cost much money to look good. It does need to blend with the surrounding environment though. A little harmony goes a long way. Swiss artist Felice Varini, for instance, knows about harmony. He's also a pioneer in creating public art. In Europe, he uses perspective and draws parts of a circle on the walls of several adjacent buildings. From certain angles, viewers see only parts of the circle, but walking around will reveal the one location where viewers observe the whole circle. In doing so, Varini successfully modifies the common perception of that space. With the 2010 World Expo ahead, Shanghai has plenty of time to beautify public spaces. At the same time, the project only succeeds if it pleases the local community. There's little point in erecting artwork around the city for a few weeks just to impress tourists. ``This (public art) will be a sustainable project, in collaboration with the government, property developers and artists,'' says Yang Jianping, vice president of the College of Fine Arts at Shanghai University. ``After all, Rome was not built in a day.'' Yang recommends a popular policy idea -- allocating a percentage of money extracted from new construction projects and the renovation of existing projects to be channeled into a public art fund. The policy was first initiated by the French government in 1951, copied by Philadelphia in the United States in 1959 and popularized worldwide during the 1960s. ``The city is already crammed with skyscrapers,'' says Yang. ``We really have to consider how to use our limited open space. Local residents are noted for their aesthetic taste, which should be reflected through the city scenes.'' Several local property developers are showing concern for residential areas and have purchased expensive sculptures. The Shanghai Lian Yang group took a copy of Rodin's ``Thinker'' to its residential community for 1 million yuan (US,000) three years ago and Shanghai Zendai Century (group) Co Ltd purchased French sculptor Cesar Baldaccini's ``Thumb'' for 2.6 million yuan at last year's Shanghai Art Fair. ``It is encouraging to see awareness of public art grow,'' says Tang. ``Although some of the works displayed here are only copies, one day you might bump into them on the street.'' In a concrete jungle of high-rises, everyone desires fresh air and blue skies to help fire every day stresses. Yet fresh air is still above the predominant gray skies of Shanghai. Perhaps a little more public art would provide that soothing spiritual break everyone needs at one time or another. ``Public Voice -- 2003 Observation of Public Art'' Time: 11 am-7 pm, through September 6 Venue: Space Art Gallery, 2/F, 200 Taikang Rd. Tel: 6472-0321