Just to preface this article, and to excuse any ignorance I betray in it, I feel I should explain that I have very little education and experience in visual arts, I had just heard about M50 and decided to spend the day there and share with you all a little of what I saw.

 For those who aren't familiar with M50, it's a collection of contemporary art galleries set in former industrial buildings on Moganshan Road in the Putuo District. The most established of these is the 10 year old ShangART. There's also some great graffiti art in the area. Over the last decade there's been a craze in the art world for Chinese contemporary art with collectors paying astronomical prices for the work of top artists. Bejing is often described as the epicentre of the Chinese art scene but Shanghai retains its own, distinct gallery culture.

 I first stopped in New B Gallery and was first attracted by a piece by Yehan Wang, it didn't appear to have a name. At first it caught my eye because of its bright, pastel colours and the confidence and ease the subject seems to exude while staring back at you. This is obviously a Selfie which seems to be becoming increasingly prominent in the public eye. In fact, the Oxford English Dictionary made the word 'Selfie' their word of the year in 2013 and estimate that its usage has increased 17,000% in that year alone. Bearing this in mind, the picture raised a question in my mind: on one hand we might say it's inherently narcissistic to admire your own body but if the intention is to show this to the world is it not more exhibitionist? The two paintings depict a woman and her reflection captured in the Selfie. Mirrors, reflections and falling in love with one's own image are all associated with narcissism and goes right back to the myth of Narcissism himself. Therefore, I would be inclined to think that the primary motivation for this Selfie is self-love. Indeed, there are small details like her heavy lids, reminiscent of bedroom eyes, and her smile which seem to show that she is deeply pleased by her own reflection. The timing and topicality of the piece might suggest an opinion or discussion of Selfies but I can't infer any opinion on the artist's behalf. Hair dye and tattoos traditionally carry negative connotations but here they may simply liken to the subject to the floral background and create a positive and playful ambience.

The next was Youth by Wang Xuejun. I found this to be quite interesting because it appears to be satirizing or diminishing Communist propaganda. The image of the soldier, proletariat and peasant has become so iconic and synonymous with Communism but in this instance they have ben depicted in a comic, almost cartoonish light. I suppose I was mainly surprised to see that artists were allowed or felt comfortable to make light of the regime in the public forum.

 I then went into M97 Gallery and saw Michael Wolf's collection of photographs Small God, Big City. The focus of these photos was life in Shanghai and specifically the quality of life in a city so big. Having grown up in a small town and not being used to living in a big city, these pictures were particularly resonant with me and I could certainly sympathise with the images of people crammed into subway trains. However, I found the image of laundry being hung out of the apartment complex windows strangely comforting as it seemed to suggest a sense of community. I recalled the saying 'don't wash your dirty laundry in public' which means you shouldn't air private matters in public. However, this picture seems to show that, because in a city everyone is forced to live alongside each other and are literally forced to wash their laundry in public, there is a sense of equality and less need to feel embarrassed around strangers.

These are just a few of the great and thought-provoking art that is on display in M50. I highly recommend visiting it when you have the chance and I look forward to reading your comments below.