Eike Stratmann: Shanghai Detour

Photo: Yun Xiao Su

Eike Stratmann is founder of Shanghai Detour, a bilingual art map published every two months and invaluable tool for making the most of Shanghai's ever-changing gallery scene. The pocket guide is completely free and available to pick up from galleries, hotels and embassies – for a full list check out the website here. CreativeHunt sat down with Eike to find out more about the maps' success.


What was the inspiration and motivation behind setting up Shanghai Detour and the Art Map?

I came to Shanghai with my husband almost three years ago. Before that I worked in Berlin. Although I came here without a job, I had in mind that I wanted to work on a project at the Expo but it took much longer than I'd hoped to sort out. While I was waiting for budgets to be finalized and contracts signed I started to visit galleries. I bought a plan of Shanghai and started researching what was out there. It's not so easy to find information about galleries – often there'd be no map, or else I'd get there and find it had closed down. I tried to be organized about it and in order to do that and visit them all I needed a street map option.

I'd done an art map for Berlin already when I worked for the art fair there. Every big city – Paris, New York, London – they all have something like this – why didn't such a thing already exist in Shanghai?



It's still quite a step from identifying a need and making it happen – how did the first art map come about?

I met Alexis [Kouzmine] from ifa gallery and he told me that they'd actually done it once before in 2008 but it didn't really work out and they'd only produced one. I told him I'd love to take over the project! It was helpful for me to have his name behind it, it made things much easier. So I went to all the galleries and told them about the project and showed them my list of galleries and they'd say 'yes that's great but you also need to meet so and so'. This is how the list came together.

What about the design and printing? Were they difficult to organize?

I worked with the Lime 338 – they also designed that 2008 map and I really liked the format. We changed the design quite a lot, but it's a very nice size, readable and a good shape to just put in your pocket. I found a very good printer who specializes in fine art – I've worked with him for three years now. I also spoke to lawyers to ask them about the legality of what I was doing – printing, how should I do it, can I keep the name, things like this.

I also got very lucky – on my first weekend in Shanghai I met the owner of Glamour Bar, quite by chance – I didn't even know what Glamour Bar was at that point! We stayed in touch and I ended up launching the very first art map there with all the gallerists and partners just before the 2009 ShContemporary.



And advertising partners? Were they easy to get onboard?

I wanted to keep the price really low for the galleries so that everyone can be on the map, so I needed advertising partners to pay for the print and the design. One of my first was Crown – they're specialized in fine art shipping. They had faith in it, right from the beginning and are still partners today. Next was URBN hotel – the manager at the time was very interested in art, and of course Glamour Bar. For the first one it was quite difficult – I think because maps had existed before but didn't work out, or else advertisers thought that I would just leave. It wasn't always easy to convince people but I was really determined.

And how has the map changed from that first one back in 2009?

Oh, it changes all the time – galleries open, they close, they move and often miss editions because their shows are so irregular. The map changes too, especially with new subway lines, or else I realize mistakes in streets that constantly need fixing. Distribution also changes a lot and I'm always looking for new channels. Saying that, though, it does feel quite stable now.

The art scene has changed a lot too – there's new art fairs, and new directors. The Asian art scene as a whole has changed with things like Basel taking over Art HK, and even Art Stage Singapore – it all means galleries have to work harder than ever. I think the map helps with that and also it's a nice way of bringing people together.



You recently launched a Shanghai Detour Fashion Map – how did that come about?

Alison Yeung [founder of Mary Ching shoes] came to me over a year and half ago and told me she loved the art map and would I consider doing a fashion map. I told her no, I didn't have time right now and that she should call me in six months. Well, she did! It was really nice cooperating with her. I didn't know much about fashion in Shanghai before but we researched it and found that it could work in a similar way to the art map. For shopping it really makes sense to have a map overview of the scene.

What's special about it is that it's not Prada, Louis Vuitton or Zara – it's designers who work, produce and sell in Shanghai. Alison gave me an initial list and through that I discovered Shanghai all over again. Each designer or boutique I met with suggested others I should check out. It all happened very naturally but like the art map, it's something that always needs updating.

What are your hopes for the future of Shanghai Detour, and do you have plans to expand to other cities?

I want it to become like a little institution – for people who come here to see galleries to think to themselves that they need an Art Map. I want art collectors and people interested in galleries to use it, for it to be a tool. Shanghai is putting a lot of effort and money into art, and I hope for Shanghai detour to become the natural choice for people to enjoy it.

In terms of expanding, I think this is working because I'm here – because I visit the galleries, I go to openings and I meet with each distributor personally – it's really important and interesting for me to do those things myself. I can't do Beijing when I'm in Shanghai and I'm not interested in letting someone do it for me. Who knows, maybe in the future I will, but I love Shanghai and I know the city really well – and I think ultimately this is why it works.