The Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art might not be as highly acclaimed as its neighbor Shanghai Art Museum, but it is no less ambitious, or popular, judging by response to a current exhibition, writes Yang Zhenqi.

Tucked away in a nook of the well-manicured People's Park near Shanghai's landmark People's Square, the Museum of Contemporary Art offers an artistic interlude for both tourists and shoppers.

The venue was established in 2005 by Hong Kong entrepreneur Samuel Kung with a view to creating the city's first private, non-profit art institute promoting contemporary art.

And that dream is gradually coming true judging by the big crowd who attended the opening of the presentation of the second biennial exhibition "Butterfly Dream" early last month.

While MoCA's neighboring counterpart Shanghai Art Museum on Nanjing Road W. managed to make its September show "Translocalmotion" an international triumph, "Butterfly Dream" focuses more on the indigenous contemporary art.

Inspired by the ancient Chinese philosopher Chuang-tzu's "Butterfly Dream," a Warring States Period (476-221 BC) story about dream and reality, the exhibition has a common touch despite its lofty approach.

It features about 80 artists, established and new, who have contributed more than 100 works of painting, animation, photography, sculpture, installation, video and audio.

Two of the most impressive pieces are Beijing-based artist Shi Jinsong's hand-made armor installation work and young talent Jiang Heng's dazzling, mural-sized oil on canvas.

Renowned for his formidable installation pieces, Shi's single work is a collection of armor suits in the shape of traditional Chinese zodiac animals which match in size the growing phases of his daughter over many years.

The glittering, menacing metallic outfit is intended to convey more about the psychology of today's over-protective parents than be a comment on the perils of childhood.

"Modern," "beautiful" and "seductive" are words used to describe Jiang's signature "Chinese Beauty" oil paintings, all of which feature an attractive female figure with silken skin, dark hair, big eyes and rosy cheeks.

Although each pretty, smiling girl is painted in bright, bold colors, they all seem somehow banal and lifeless like a mass-produced clone in the post-modern industrial world which the artist strives to explore and examine.