A trip back in time

"Xu Zhen's work symbolizes the fast pace and dynamic nature of Shanghai and urban life. It also reminds people that we need to slow down a little."

Gu Jianjun, deputy director of the Shanghai Art Museum at that time, recalls the many complaints he received during the 2004 Shanghai Biennale.

"People passing by the area, especially elderly people living nearby, called in repeatedly to report about the malfunctioning clock," he recalls. "They said they needed to read the time, but the clock was broken and 'running wild'."

Now deputy director of the PSA, which has been hosting the Shanghai Biennale since 2012, Gu says the event has "nurtured the city's first audiences of contemporary art". He notes that, at the first few editions of the Shanghai Biennale, visitors were confused and criticized the artworks as "phony", "vulgar" and "incomprehensible".