José Carlos Casado has been invited to participate in the international Swatch Art Peace Hotel Residency in Shanghai, China from September to December of 2012 (www.josecarloscasado.com).

Under the unique concept of the luxury Swatch Art Peace Hotel, gifted artists from around the world, including China, are invited to Shanghai to live and work in studios in the Hotel. Artists who are chosen by the Selection Committee to participate in the Swatch Art Peace Hotel Guest Artist Program will experience the vibrant life of this unique artistic and cultural environment. 

Swatch Group expects The Swatch Art Peace Hotel to contribute in a significant manner to the cultural and artistic development of Shanghai. Artists will benefit from their exposure to an international public at the most prestigious location in Shanghai, and it is hoped the new art hotel will serve as an open door to the world, a permanent invitation to engage in cultural exchange. The Swatch Art Peace Hotel project thus represents both a unique cultural heritage and a remarkable statement of Shanghai’s emerging role as one of the most exciting and influential of world cities today.

At present, the members of the Artist Selection Committee are: George Clooney, Actor; Nayla Hayek, Chair of the Board of Directors, Swatch Group; Nick Hayek, CEO, Swatch Group; Esther Grether, Board Member, Swatch Group;  François-Henri Pinault, Chairman and CEO, PPR; Mikhail Kusnirovich, Russian Entrepreneur and Chairman of the Strategic Development Committee of the Department Store GUM; Sir Francis Yeoh, Chairman of YTL Group.