A number of modern and contemporary art museums such as the State-owned Power Station of Art and private establishments such as Yuz Museum and the Long Museum have emerged in Shanghai and gained a solid visitor base in the past decade, but Tinari views them more as colleagues instead of competitors.

"We can work together and contribute to the culture of the city," he says.

One of the highlights of the ongoing exhibition at UCCA Edge is The Fiction Between 1999 & 2000, an installation built with the screenshots of television personalities, pop idols and soap opera scenes from those years.

To create this installation, Hu Qiuyun, a curator with the museum, collated screenshots from television shows he could access in a 24-hour span that covered the transition from 1999 to 2000. The artwork was originally exhibited at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Alongside City on the Edge, a side project titled Urban Theater: A Comedy in Four Acts has kicked off on the terrace floor and public space in front of the new museum.

The museum will also hold a series of public programs every weekend during the inaugural exhibition, including performance art shows at the museum every Sunday, guided tours by special guests every Saturday and a slate of talks with artists and scholars. Admission will be free to these events. Registration for these programs can be done via UCCA Edge's official website or WeChat account.

UCCA Edge will present an exhibition in August featuring the works of artist Liu Xiaodong, who is known for his observations and portrayal of contemporary China. Then in October, the museum will host an exhibition of Andy Warhol's works.

If you go

City on the Edge: Art and Shanghai at the Turn of the Millennium

10 am-7 pm (last entry at 6:30 pm),May 22-July 11. UCCA Edge, 2F, No 88 Xizang Road North, Jing'an district, Shanghai. 021-6628-6861.