Some of the best fresh Chinese, Asian and international art is showcased at ShContemporary 2007 - one of the year's hottest events. Around 100 galleries from 25 countries and regions take part in the China-Italy extravaganza through Sunday, writes Fei Lai.For gallery owners, dealers, artists, collectors and art enthusiasts, nothing could be more dreadful than missing a glamorous art event - such as ShContemporary 2007. Put it on your list.More than 100 galleries from 25 countries and regions have been selected by art experts for the exhibition at the Shanghai Exhibition Center. It runs through Sunday.Organizers hope it will become the premier contemporary art exhibition in the Asia-Pacific region and the world. Having a special focus on Asia, the fair comes at a time when new biennials, contemporary art museums and art centers are springing up throughout Asia.It is organized by the Shanghai International Cultural Communication Association and other cultural groups, in cooperation with the Italian Trade Commission under the Italian Ministry of Trade."The explosive growth among the wealthy Asian upper and middle class and the recent trends towards Asian contemporary art have fostered development in Asia," says fair director Lorenzo Rudolf, an international contemporary art expert."We used to have an international art market that is totally focused on the United States and Europe. However, due to the social liberalization that can be found in most sections of Asia today, exciting and attractive Asian art is thriving all over the world now," he adds.And the Chinese art market is moving rapidly. With more and more people being attracted by Chinese art, a new art consumer society has formed. And young Chinese artists showcased at the exhibition are expressing their feelings about the rapidly changing world around them.Italy is famous in contemporary art and Shanghai hopes to be a city for the arts."Lively with business people and some of the best artists' neighborhoods, Shanghai is an interesting place to start. It has a great capacity to adapt to global ideas, especially in the art world," says Ambassador Umberto Vattani, president of Italian Trade Commission-ICE. "The fair adds important facets to the city, underlining its mission in the field of art. Collectors and gallery owners from all over the world gather here and I have heard many positive comments. Italy has done a good job here."Vattani calls art "a powerful instrument" to reduce distance and bring people closer. "Art has always been a mirror of society. Even with the lack of language, it makes people understand each other through images or events. One can see the changes through artists' eyes."One highlight is the 50 drawings by film director Federico Fellini. Themed "The Long Journey of Fellini. Dreams, Drawings, Films," the exhibition is presented by the Emilia-Romagna Region."Many of his characters were drawn on paper before becoming cinematic characters," Vattani says. "Fellini is a genius, feeling things that most people may miss. Bringing a revolution in film, he creates wonderful characters and music in his movie."ShContemporary 2007 promotes emerging talented artists.Besides the "Best of Artists" section, which presents works of famous Asian artists, "Best of Discovery" section gives a new generation of Asia-Pacific artists the opportunity to show their works on the international art stage for the first time."It is a try. It is unnecessary that each work must from well-known artists," Vattani says. "It is difficult to say who are the masters and we need some time to tell. But one can say what is new or not new, novelty or not novelty, creative or not creative."From the time of Marco Polo, there has always been economic and cultural exchange between China and Italy. Last year was the Year of Italy in China, this year's ShContemporary is another step in the friendship."Chinese art market is moving rapidly. With more and more people being attracted by Chinese art, a new consumption society has formed. Perhaps we can look on Chinese contemporary art as the mirror of a rapidly changing environment," Vattani says.He says that art, however, is not a passive recorder of social or historical situations. "Today's up and coming artists from China have largely freed themselves from the shackles of convention, offering new and original interpretations of their world," he says."Looking at Chinese art today gives us an insight into how young Chinese artists think and feel, and this, I think, is the true communicative strength of this unprecedented exhibition."