Art festival transforms Shekou into an immersive gallery

Residents and visitors are invited to embark on a lively urban art journey across Shekou as the 10th Shekou Mountain and Sea Art Festival officially opened on June 12.

Colorful inflatable letter props take center stage on the illuminated staircase during the Shekou Mountain and Sea Art Festival. Participants carry vibrant rainbow-hued letter props to create a lively, playful art scene, blending public art, community engagement and creative cultural experience at SWCAC. Photos courtesy of the event organizers

Running through Aug. 30, this year’s festival, themed “BINGO! SHEKOU,” links iconic public spaces including Sea World, Taizi Bay Garden City Villas, Nanhai E-Cool, and the Sea World Culture and Arts Center (SWCAC).

Giant flip-flop sculptures and vibrant rainbow letter props spelling "Bingo" decorate the terrace walkway, forming a playful pop-art installation for the Shekou Mountain and Sea Art Festival.

The opening ceremony featured bold public art installations that directly engaged with the coastal landscape. Artist Li Jinghu’s work, Missing You, illuminated the waters of Sea World with Morse code-inspired light signals, turning everyday feelings into a visual language. Tan Yingjie’s piece, Nüwa Mending the Sky, created a moving dialogue with the shoreline in the nearby neighborhood. These works are part of the “Hang Se Hau” (Walk Shekou) public art project, which debuted on opening day.

Marking its 10th edition, the festival has grown from a single-venue exhibition into a multi-community cultural network. By bringing art out of traditional galleries and into streets, alleys, and neighborhood shops, the event aims to activate public spaces and deepen the connection between art and daily life.

Tan Yingjie’s piece, Nüwa Mending the Sky.

A standout feature is the “Hang Se Hau” artist-in-residence program, featuring 22 creators whose works are now scattered across Shekou. Complementing it, the “Street Wandering” pop-up series brings spontaneous performances, hands-on public workshops, and interactive moments to local spots such as Fisherman’s Wharf, community restaurants, and schools — encouraging residents to join the creative process.

In the festival lead-up, youth energy and professional artistic exchange took center stage. On June 12, the “Wall Vibes” Cross-Strait Youth Graffiti Invitational was held at SWCAC, where street artist WHYYY (Huang Liwei) mentored 18 young artists from the mainland and Taiwan. The participants formed nine teams to create murals around the theme “Seeing Everything Between Mountain and Sea.” The resulting exhibition is on view in the SWCAC L1 glass space through July 12. In addition, SWCAC L1 Art Shop is hosting artist YKON’s dual-city solo exhibition, To the Dream Scale Offline, through July 19.

An artist paints graffiti during the “Wall Vibes” Cross-Strait Youth Graffiti Invitational at SWCAC.

Throughout the summer, the festival’s Diverse Mountain and Sea series will offer a full lineup of family-friendly workshops, community writing sessions, street markets, jazz-themed night events, and pet-friendly interactive experiences across the Sea World and Taizi Bay areas.

Produced by China Merchants Culture and hosted by SWCAC, the 10th Shekou Mountain and Sea Art Festival is supported by partners including ART COOOOL, ARTTENTION, Beijing Zuoshu Friends Bookstore, ARTDBL, the Shenzhen Book and Periodical Distribution Association, the Taiwan Diversified Arts Space Youth Development Association, WAU Design, and the Xue Feng Studio.

For people in Shenzhen, this summer provides a rare chance to rediscover Shekou through art—one neighborhood at a time.