PUDONG. Art in an avant-garde setting may be what makes Art-50 a success. This restaurant/bar gallery, which sits atop the Novatel Atlantis Shanghai Hotel, combines cocktails with a touring solo artist exhibit from the ShanghART gallery. On display are exemplary paintings and sculptures of up-and-coming talent. The ambience, which offers a revolving sky view of the city, is fabulous. Art-50 is a refreshing way to view art while wrapped in the stimulating atmosphere of good food and drink. METRO: Dong Chang Lu

OLD FRENCH CONCESSION. This gallery showcases contemporary works. Owner Zhang Ming Fang strives to provide a venue for the general public to build an appreciation for this genre. METRO: Huang Pi Nan Lu

DOWNTOWN WEST. From abstract calligraphy to cutting edge photography, this local art gallery centers on bringing diversity to Shanghai. Owners Katelijn Verstraete and Davide Quadrio are committed to displaying and selling modern creative works. The gallery sits in a former shoe factory and is quite spacious. BizArt found its niche by being a traveling art exhibit. For years, it displayed movable art displays throughout the city before finding its first permanent home.

OLD FRENCH CONSESSION. With artistic tastes that include photos of frogs and crabs bathing with people and an art video of an intravenously linked man combing the city, this art gallery takes avant-garde to the extreme. Eastlink is known for pushing the envelope. It has developed a following because of its renowned commitment to photography and video as well as large-scale sculpture. Make sure to drop by and take a peek because this is a rare treat from a city that is both culturally and artistically diverse. METRO: Changshu Lu

GUBEI. Targeting an upscale clientele, this gallery showcases contemporary Chinese art. Owner Ma Hao Ming is partial to artists born in the 1960s and bases his business on the premise that there is a "median between market and art." The art pieces displayed tend to express the social changes experienced through China's Cultural Revolution. Past exhibits include abstract paintings by Hu Wei Da and landscapes by Wu Xiao Shen.