OCAT Shanghai closes indefinitely after outcry over Song Ta's controversial video rating women

OCAT Shanghai has indefinitely closed its doors and pulled the group exhibition 'The Circular Impact' following intense public backlash against Song Ta's 2013 video work 'Uglier and Uglier.' The seven-hour video, which numerically rates women on their attractiveness based on covert campus footage, sparked widespread condemnation on social media platforms like Weibo and Twitter. Users branded the work 'misogynist' and 'intrusive,' with podcaster Afra Wang criticizing the art world's systemic failures. In response, OCAT Shanghai stated the artwork disrespects women and involves copyright infringement issues, pledging to improve services with empathy. Curated by Dai Zhuoqun, the exhibition featured 21 artists. Song Ta, based in Guangzhou, describes his practice as a political barometer that shuns technical finesse, with recent shows including the 8th Shenzhen Sculpture Biennale and the 2018 New Museum Triennial in New York. The artist had a solo exhibition of drawings at Beijing Commune last year. Some observers noted similarities between the artwork's premise and Facebook's origin story.