 he SH Contemporary Art Fair opens later this week, September 5, in Shanghai. Already, the crowds are arriving in this bustling city and everyone is making dates and trying to meet up with some of the world's most powerful art people. There's no official list of everyone who's attending. But here are a few faces to look out for in Shanghai.
 Zhou Tiehai: One of Shanghai’s leading artists, best-known for his Joe Camel portraits, is one of the organizers of Sh Contemporary. For years, he's been making waves with his provocative images and is well-travelled in Europe. Now, he's taking on a different type of task.
 Lorenzo Rudolf, One of the founders of the popular Art Basel Fair and also its offshoot, Art Basel Miami Beach. Mr. Rudolf once worked for the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany.
 Pierre Huber is well-known in Europe as the the founder of the Art & Public gallery in Geneva, as a major collector of modern art and also as one of the people who helped remake Art Basel into a major international event.
 Galerie Urs Meile: The Swiss gallery is playing a large role, with two of its artists represented in a big way, Ai Wei Wei and Lu Hao. Ai has some new works, involving large clumps of what look like coal, being shown.
 Pearl Lam: The hostess with the mostess. She’s the owner of Contrasts Gallery, and is known for her exquisite collection of design items. She’ll be hosting the town’s hottest parties at her home. VIPs only.
 Weng Ling, the head of the Shanghai Gallery of Art, is not officially in charge of anything at the Sh Contemporary, but since she’s a force in Shanghai and one of the most powerful gallery directors in China, expect to see her with some of the most important people around.
 Lorenz Helbling, the head of the ShanghArt Gallery, has been an important player in Shanghai’s art scene for years, and no event in Shanghai gets done without his involvement. Some of his star artists, like Zhou Tiehai and Wang Guangyi, are participating. Expect to see him working behind the scenes.
The Sh Contemporary released a list of “best of artists,” who were selected to have works shown in a special area of the exhibition hall. The best of artists chosen are below with their country and gallery listed:
Tatsuo Miyajima, Japan, SCAI 
Yoshitomo Nara, Japan, Tomio Koyama
Rirkrit Tiravanija, Thailand, Tang
Ai Wei Wei, China, Galerie Urs Meile
Lu Hao, China, Chen Xingdong
Chen Zhen, China, Continua
Gu Dexin, China, Continua
Chen Shaoxiong, China, Universal Studios
Fang Lijun, China, Alexander Ochs
Song Dong, China, Beijing Commune
Sudarshan Shetty, India, SKE
Zarina Hashmi, India, Bodhi Art
Jitish Kallat, India, Chemould
Wang Du, China, Laurent Godin
Wang Guangyi, China, ShanghArt
There are also 20 artists represented in the exhibition’s “best of discovery,” a kind of botched name for up and coming artists. China has three representatives: Qiu Xiaofei, Jiang Zhi and Li Yongbin. Here’s the full list.
Jiang Zhi, China, Tang
Qiu Xiaofei, China, Universal Studios
Li Yongbin, China, Jean Gabriel Mitterand
Kohei Nawa, Japan, SCAI
Ruriko Murayama, Japan, Yamamoto Gendai
Enlightenment Group, Japan, Hiromi Yoshii
Tu Weicheng, Taipei, Lin & Keng Gallery
Shilpa Gupta, India, Sakshi
Sharmila Samant, India, Chemould
Rashid Rana, Pakistan, Nature Morte
Mohammad Ali Talpur, Pakistan, Green Cardamom
Ham Jin, Korea, PKM
FlyingCity, Korea, PKM
Aleksandr Shumow, Russia, Theodoridis
Lida Abdul, Afghan, Giorgio Persano
Yayoi Deki, Japan, Yamamoto Gendai
Ravikumar Kashi, India, Sumukha
Chen Ching-Yao, Taipei, Soka.
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