The Prelude Exhibition of The First Shanghai Graphic Design Biennale – TopoPoster: International Poster Design Exhibition, after six months (June – December, 2025) of planning and preparation, was successfully held from December 13 to December 22, 2025. As one of the larger-scale exhibitions in recent years featuring an international selection of works in China, it showcased over 300 representative poster designs from 153 influential contemporary designers and studios active in the forefront of the field across 28 countries.
Ausstellungsreihe ABC
The subtitle »A für Alltag« (everyday life, daily routine) was the underlying theme for the exhibition. With associations reaching from boredom, the extremes of repetition, the forces (of life) one sometimes is exposed to, celestial body orbits, the law of energy conservation and with that bouncing balls, to the ever withstanding nature of the tumbler toy. This swaying movement to and fro, as well as concepts of multiple facets or layers is what inspired the final, slanted draft.
The second part of the series "Ausstellungsreihe ABC" – this time following an open call for works on topics of urbanism and the city, "S für Stadt" / "S as in City" – was titled "vor_Ort". Submissions thematically ranged from topics of infrastructure and planning to abandoned property, movement, and social interaction. Graphically, the idea of constructedness and interior/exterior space sits next to organic (re-)appropriation of empty areas, signs of wear/patina, and shifting/distribution.
The third part of the series "Ausstellungsreihe ABC" – following an open call for works on topics of security and risk, "R für Risiko" / "R as in Risk" – was titled "sicher nicht". Submissions opened up questions of danger potentials, the perceptions of living in a pandemic society the pondering between security and freedoms. The title "sicher nicht" is a wordplay, exaggerated trough the typesetting and interacting with a composition of partly translucent barrier tape. The graphical weave closes and opens up areas, stitching together a clear but fragile warning.
The forth and last part of the series "Ausstellungsreihe ABC" – following an open call for works on topics of dreams, "T für Traum" / "D as in Dream" – was titled »Do You Dream at All«. It plays with a drawing of eye movements whilst dreaming, called saccades, and combines that with a spaced typographic layer, that reacts to that rhythm and alludes to a storytelling aspect. Dissolving patches on the edge, mark the transfer and a soft blending to a possible different reality.
Miriam Humm
Marcus Wachter
miriamhumm.com
@miam_iam