The best art exhibitions in Beijing this week

The best arty happenings in the capital

Need some artistic inspiration this month? Check out these top exhibitions at galleries across the city – nearly all of them are running until next month, so plenty of inspiration for September, too.

Antoni Muntadas: Asian Protocols

Three Shadows Photography Art Centre. Until Sep 16

A pioneer of installation, multi-media and video artworks, Muntadas has found acclaim throughout the world, with numerous awards and accolades to his name. Using various mediums to create audio and visual immersive experiences, Muntadas aims to reflect on what contributes to our experience of today. With Asian Protocols, Muntadas explores how private and public norms affect our lives and our world.

Jiang Zhi: Already I Know the Storms

Magician Space. Until Sep 8

Beijing-based Jiang Zhi uses the imagery of storms, restlessness, stillness and heaviness. He explores the space around him through the reference to Rainer Maria Rilke's poem 'Premonition' – the poem from which the exhibit takes its name. Experience the thundering nature of oncoming storms in Magician Space's new and expanded exhibition gallery.

Private Talent

Des Arts (above Destination). Until Sep 26

Destination's new space, the Contemporary Art Culture Centre, hosts Private Talent – an exhibition of Chinese artists curated by Pierre Alivon. Deftly using various mediums from paint to sculpture, the artists express their experience of Beijing's queer community.

Xu Bing: Thought and Method

UCCA. Until Oct 18

Globally renowned for his conceptual and installation pieces, Xu Bing creates a space where viewers can immerse themselves within his world. Xu brings his keen observation skills to bear as he displays his unique insight, encompassing both a reflection on traditional East Asian culture as well as a nuanced view of contemporary societal changes.

From Comics to Paintings

Star Gallery. Until Sep 1

This third installment of works by Yan Cong and Wen Ling showcases their artwork inspired by comics and their exploration of how comics can transform contemporary painting. Comics in China have had a tense, if not hostile, relationship with more traditional forms of painting over the years. These two Beijing-based artists therefore seek to understand and transform that relationship, pulling out the positive impact comics can have on contemporary art.

Hello, My Name is Paul Smith

Today Art Museum. Until Oct 7

From his company’s modest beginnings in Nottingham to its international prominence today, this exhibition showcases Paul Smith’s intuitive take on design, and the British fashion designer's journey in building his brand, as well as his evolving stylistic tastes.

Zhang Xiaodi: Sea Over Sea

Mocube. Until Sep 16

Mocube hosts Zhang Xiaodi’s solo exhibition Sea Over Sea, presenting the artist’s most recent photography works. Among his former works, Zhang Xiaodi has considered water as a means to document how naturally formed spectacles can be constructed with man-made photographic techniques. His most recent works challenge the agency of water in this mechanism and aim to further represent how the literary and the photographic come together to create visual depictions of the degeneration and cleansing of particular urban areas.

Yuan Yunfu: Bright Glory

Tsinghua University Art Museum. Until Oct 7

Tsinghua University Art Museum hosts Bright Glory – The Aesthetics of Yuan Yunfu, an exhibition of works by a significant painter at the turn of the century. Yuan Yunfu made great achievements in painting and is especially known for his exploration of colour and modern ink painting. About 120 works, including oil paintings, gouaches, ink paintings and colour ink paintings, will be displayed in the exhibition, which honours the memory of Mr. Yuan Yunfu, who passed away in 2017.

Intersection: International Art and Culture

Arthur M Sackler Museum of Art and Archaeology. Until Aug 27. Free

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Arthur M Sackler Museum of Art and Archaeology and the 120th anniversary of Peking University, the Sackler Museum is hosting two concurrent exhibitions showcasing contemporary artists from around the globe, including Nicolas Herrera, Bao Pei, Frieder Nake and loads more.

For more art in Beijing, hit 'Read more'.

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