Chanel has announced the public opening of Espace Gabrielle Chanel, mainland China’s first public library dedicated to contemporary art, at Shanghai’s Power Station of Art (PSA). The 18,000-square-foot library was designed by renowned Japanese architect Kazunari Sakamoto and is located on the third floor of the museum. It holds more than 50,000 books and audiobooks, with over 10,000 accessible to the public as of Tuesday. The library encompasses an upgraded exhibition hall and a terrace looking out onto the Huangpu River. The French luxury fashion house’s partnership with PSA is the latest phase of the Next Cultural Producer program, the first Chanel Culture Fund project in Asia. Launched at PSA in 2021, the program strives to “foster new ideas and emerging practices in contemporary Chinese craft, architecture, and theater,” a Chanel representative told ARTnews. Chanel Culture Fund, initiated in 2021, “champions artists and cultural institutions that push boundaries, inspire experimentation, and expand public imagination” through patronage. The fund is currently involved in 50 projects across 15 countries, including at London’s National Portrait Gallery. Spearheading the …