Spring is in the art: Exhibitions to see this season in Beijing

Leila Alaoui, The Moroccans – series, 2010-2014. Image: Oak Taylor-Smith courtesy of Galleria Continua

Let your mind bloom this spring with these incredible art exhibits

With the weather warming up, embrace Beijing's lovely spring days with a trip out to warm up your mind. Check out these ongoing and upcoming art exhibitions around the city to see the very best in international and local talent.

Leila Alaoui: Ya Rayah

Late French-Moroccan artist Leila Alaoui used her photographs and videos to explore identity, diversity and migration. For the first exhibition of her works in China, Galleria Continua presents Ya Rayah, the title deriving its meaning from the Algerian song of the same name, translated as 'O, you who are leaving'. Speaking to exile, the song and Alaoui's exhibition examine the suffering and melancholy experienced by those no longer present in their homes. As in her other works, Alaoui used her lens to bring truth and light to abandoned migrants around the world, hoping to engage viewers with the reality of those 'left to disappear behind clichés and statistics'. This incredible exhibition displays the humanity and depth of emotion Alaoui poured into all her work and stands as an homage to the strength and dignity she imparted throughout her short life.

 Galleria Continua 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, 798 Art District, Chaoyang district. 

 11am-6pm Tue-Sun. Until Sun 2 Jun. 

Liang Shuo: Scenery

The second solo exhibition of artist Liang Shuo, Scenery is a junction between the urban and the wild. The exhibition explores our modern understanding of landscapes, juxtaposing ancient and new, time and space, ideologies and aesthetics. While Liang's paintings are the feature of the show, the curving walls and hidden spaces build suspense throughout, allowing brief glimpses and imagined endings for viewers.

 Beijing Commune 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, 798 Art District, Chaoyang district. 

 11am-6pm Tue-Sun. Until Sat 4 May. 

Shi Guowei: A Walk in the Woods

Curated by Karen Smith, Shi Guowei's A Walk in the Woods tells the story of abstract experiences and emotions. Using his very distinct and singular style, Shi recreates the world as we know it through hand-colourings of black-and-white photos. From a distance, the images are easily confused for real photographs, but closer inspection reveals Shi's meticulous devotion to re-interpreting the natural world and imparting his experiences into his works.

 Magician Space 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, 798 Art District, Chaoyang district. 

 10.30am-6.30pm Tue-Sun. Until Sat 11 May.  

Wang Xingwei: The Code of Physiognomy

The Code of Physiognomy presents new works from Shenyang-born artist Wang Xingwei since his last solo exhibition in 2016. The works present a rather tongue-in-cheek look at life in China, with playful symbology and metaphors that may lead to a few gasps and muffled giggles. From depictions of soldiers to a series on once-influential public figures, Wang's paintings are daring, thought-provoking and something akin to a visual representation of an inside joke.

 Galerie Urs Meile 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, 798 Art District, Chaoyang district.

 11am-6.30pm Tue-Sun. Until Sun 12 May.  

Maggi Hambling: For Beauty Is Nothing But The Beginning Of Terror

Renowned British artist Maggi Hambling's career-length works are presented in this special showcase at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. From oil paintings and drawings to monotypes and more, this exhibition features pieces shown at London’s National Gallery and St Petersburg’s Hermitage. For Beauty Is Nothing But The Beginning Of Terror draws inspiration from Rainer Maria Rilke's poem Duino Elegies, like much of Hambling's work has done.

 CAFA Art Museum 8 Huajiadi Nan Jie, Chaoyang district.

 9.30am-5.30pm Tue-Sun. Until Wed 1 May.  

Chen Yujun: Solo Exhibition

This solo exhibition of Chen Yujun's latest work is an important showcase of his last ten years of work, featuring paintings, woodcuts, collages and installations. Held across both of the gallery's spaces, the exhibition provides viewers an insight into cultural, social, religious and natural perspectives documented in Chen's work.

 Tang Contemporary 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, 798 Art District, Chaoyang district.

 11am-6pm Tue-Sun. Until Sun 28 Apr.  

Translation: The 11th Three Shadows Photography Award Exhibition

The eleventh year of Three Shadow's Photography Awards is upon us, with the 2019 winners announced at the opening of the gallery exhibit. Judging the awards are five experts from around the world: Hai Jie (critic, China), Kimi Himeno (director and chief editor, Japan), Marcel Feil (deputy director, Netherlands), Peter Pfrunder (director and curator, Switzerland) and Rong Rong (co-founder and director, China).

 Three Shadows Photography Art Centre 155 Caochangdi, Chaoyang district.

 10am-6pm Tue-Sun. Sat 6 Apr-Sun 19 May. 

For other great exhibitions to see around Beijing, hit 'Read more' below. 

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