A fleeting "cloud" emerged inside one of the Bund's oldest landmarks on Sept 11, marking the opening of the Art on the Bund 2025 International Art Festival in Shanghai.

This poetic illusion wasn't a trick of the weather, but the work of Dutch artist Berndnaut Smilde, who staged a live demonstration of his signature work Nimbus at No 1 Waitan Yuan, a historic building in the heart of the Bund.

Known as "the most famous cloud in the world", the performance-art Nimbus is a carefully orchestrated formation of vapor, light, humidity and air currents.

Suspended beneath stone arches and domes, the ephemeral cloud created a dialogue between the intangible and the historic, offering a poetic tribute to Shanghai's urban landscape.

Nimbus set the tone for the weeks ahead. Running until Nov 26, the festival brings together more than 30 institutions and over 60 exhibitions and events in a citywide cultural showcase.

Highlights

Shanghai Jiushi Art Museum: Splendor to Nature: Gaudi with His Era and four other exhibitions explore Spanish art and culture across architecture, history and technology.

Power Station of Art: Dual exhibitions, A Walk on the Wild Side: Artworks from the Collection de l'Art Brut and Elsewhere and Alvaro Siza: The Archive, spotlight the intersections of raw creativity and architecture.

Minsheng Art Museum: Promptoscape, an international exhibition on AI and art, examines the role of emerging technologies in creative practice.

Chi K11 Art Museum: Sesame Street Magical Art World reimagines beloved characters through paintings, sculptures and installations.

Perrotin Gallery: JR: Outposts presents 15 striking works by French artist JR, blending visual impact with social commentary.

A centerpiece of this year's festival is Salvador Dali × City Hall Plaza: Comienzo, a collaboration between The Dali Universe — the organization which manages one of the world's largest private collections of Dali's work — and the former Bund City Hall.

Featuring 149 works by Salvador Dali, the exhibition spans sculptures, prints, jewelry, glassware, goldwork, furniture and fashion. Outdoor highlights include monumental sculptures the Dance of Time I and Horse Saddled with Time.

Running concurrently through Nov 26, the second Terrace Art Season transforms six rooftop landmarks — the Fosun Foundation, Bund Finance Center, the Jiushi International Art Center, Rockbund's Somekh Building, Shanghai No 1 Department Store and the Shanghai Concert Hall — into cultural stages.

This year's theme, Animation Above the Bund, is inspired by the acclaimed animated series Yao-Chinese Folktales. Screenings and rooftop events weave folklore, mythical creatures and contemporary storytelling into Shanghai's skyline.

In addition, the terraces host themed experiences such as rooftop dining at the Jiushi International Art Center, yoga and picnics at the Somekh Building and social gatherings at Shanghai No 1 Department Store, ranging from cocktail parties to beer festivals and starry-sky dances.

Sources: Shanghai Observer, official WeChat account of the publicity department of the CPC Huangpu district committee at "shhuangpu"