Successful edition of b.creative in Shanghai

b.creative – the global event for creative entrepreneurship – took place in Shanghai on 15 November 2017.
The conference was organised in the context of the High Level People to People Dialogue (HPPD) Summit on Education, Culture and Youth strengthening cultural relations between the European Union and China.

Vice-Premier Liu Yendong and Tibor Navracsics, EU Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth

and Sports co-chaired the Forum on Cooperation between European Capitals of Culture and Culture Cities of East Asia on 14 November 2017.

b.creative was hosted on the recently inaugurated campus of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), in a new district of the Pudong area in Shanghai currently experiencing a booming development. This specific urban context resonated well with the topic of the event ‘Creative entrepreneurship and urban challenges’ to acknowledge the role that the arts, culture and creativity play in city management.

The new CAFA campus and Sino-French Institute of Design and Arts Management in Pudong, Shanghai

International delegates from cultural organisations in 25 countries, including Public Art Lab (Berlin), Nova Iskra (Belgrade), The Roundhouse (London), Hangar (Barcelona), Africalia (Brussels), shared their experiences as architects, artists, creative hub managers, artistic directors, producers, curators, entrepreneurs with the Chinese audience of students, scholars and creative professionals.

Prof. Fan Di’an President of CAFA, and Martine Reicherts European Commission Director General for Education and Culture.

b.creative received strong support from the European Commission as the event marks the conclusion of the Creative Tracks project co-funded by the European Union, boasting a network of 2,500 creative professionals worldwide. Martine Reicherts, Director General for Education and Culture opened the day, reminding the importance of shared values between the EU and China and the development potential of culture and creative industries for both parties. Invited to officially present the b.creative award, EU Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Tibor Navracsics praised socially responsible approaches to entrepreneurship faced with urban and societal challenges. He then gave the award to Aris Papadopoulos, representing LATRA Innovation Lab, winner of the b.creative challenge. LATRA designed the collaborative multidisciplinary project ‘FIELDMAKERS’ whereby artists, architects, designers and makers are working with young refugees in the lab to empower them through technology and creative activities.

Aris Papadopoulos, founder of LATRA receiving the b.creative challenge award from EU Commissioner Navracsics for developing young refugees’ creative skills in Lesvos (Greece) and Philippe Kern, MD of KEA.

Throughout the day, discussions unfolded on urban development and community engagement in urban spaces through creative activities and cultural experiences, reflecting upon the contribution of creative entrepreneurship to make cities more livable, places more vibrant and attractive, society more inclusive. Closing words by Yves Mettler, visual artist and entrepreneur from Switzerland highlighted the humanistic component that cultural and creative activities bring to cities, creating bounds that make places unique. Inspiring conclusions for new generations of creative entrepreneurs and future international networking.

Join the b.creative network

b.creative Shanghai was organised by KEA European Affairs in association with Central Academy of Fine Arts and KEDGE Business School Creative Industries and Culture Research Centre, in the framework of the Creative Tracks EU co-funded project supported by Wallonie-Bruxelles International and Shenzhen Design Week.

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Co-funded by the EU