MB Projects at NYU Shanghai: Mapping New Artistic Connections Between East and West

On April 25, the symposium “Whose East, Which West?” took place at NYU Shanghai, bringing together academics, curators, and artists to reflect on the evolving connections between China, Spain, and Latin America in the cultural field. At MB Projects, we had the pleasure of participating in the roundtable “International Circuits of Art”, moderated by Victoria.

While the panels were largely academic, what was incredibly apparent and encouraging — and is most relevant for our peers and professional community — is how rapidly the Chinese contemporary art ecosystem is expanding and how open it is to international collaboration.

Here are a few key reflections:

• There is real momentum for partnerships between institutions from Spain and Latin America — from museum exchanges to co-curated exhibitions and artist residencies.
• Biennales, institutional programs, and new artist-run initiatives are flourishing across China — offering vibrant opportunities to engage with a scene that is increasingly confident and internationally connected.
• Artists and curators here are eager to collaborate — but navigating the local context can be complex. How to identify the right partners? Which initiatives are solid and long-term?

In these moments, we’re reminded of the importance of local knowledge, trusted networks, and a clear understanding of context to build meaningful, sustainable collaborations.

The rest of the day offered a fascinating journey through cultural, literary, and linguistic intersections: from 17th-century Franciscan missions and early modern mestizo identities, to Latin American writers in early 20th-century Shanghai and the evolving presence of Hispanic literature in China today. Panels also explored Spanish-language teaching in Chinese universities, textbook publishing, and the integration of AI into classrooms — all signs of a growing, dynamic exchange between Sinophone and Hispanophone worlds.

It was a pleasure to take part in these conversations, and we remain deeply engaged in fostering new cultural bridges between China and the Spanish-speaking world.

Thank you very much Allen Young and Anna Kendrick for the invitation to participate, and we look forward to continuing the conversation.

MB Projects is a leading agency in cultural strategy and management in China. It was founded by Marion Bertagna, a trilingual China specialist, with 25 years of experience in China and in the culture field. MB Projects assists international and Chinese cultural institutions, creative industry companies, and brands wishing to explore opportunities, develop activities, implement cultural projects, build partnerships, or extend their visibility in China.