7 spectacular things to see at this year's Croisements Festival

Artwork: The Kiss (1969) by Pablo Picasso © Succession Picasso 2019

The biggest celebration of French culture outside of France is back

A celebration of all things French, Croisements Festival returns this year with another brilliant line-up showcasing the best of French art and culture. This year’s theme is centred around globalisation and cultural diversity, promoting a series of Sino-Francophone artistic encounters and collaborations. With events taking place all across Beijing until July, here's just a few of our highlights; visit faguowenhua.com for more information and the full programme.

Your footsteps are the road, for there is no road

Artwork: A chaque stencil une révolution (2010) by Latifa Echakhch

Red Brick Contemporary Art Museum. Until Jun 26. 130RMB; 110RMB (students).

The Marcel Duchamp Prize has shone a spotlight on more than 70 distinguished artists since its inception in 2000. Aiming to present the best of French art, 'Your footsteps are the road, for there is no road' features 14 previous winners and nominees of the Marcel Duchamp Prize. Inspired by a quote from Spanish poet Antonio Machado, 'Traveller, there is no path', each work offers a new pathway for discovery. Featured artists include Yto Barrada, Ulla von Brandenburg, Clément Cogitore and more.

The Three-Body Problem II: Dark Forest

Poly Theatre. May 29-Jun 3. 180-880RMB.

Directed by French director Philippe Decouflé, this multimedia performance is an adaptation of Liu Cixin's groundbreaking, Hugo Award-winning sci-fi trilogy The Three-Body Problem. As Earth comes under threat from predators across the universe, a small band of humans, who make up the Wallfacer Project, must save the planet. Chinese language with English subtitles.

Plan B

Tsinghua University. May 30-31. 40-280RMB.

Sixteen years after its creation, mime extravaganza Plan B finally comes to China. Praised for its inventiveness, Plan B features a poetic combination of juggling, acrobatics and choreography as performers balance and mime on devilishly inclined planes. With its innovative, gravity-defying staging, you’ll never look at an inclined plane the same way again.

Comic and Graphic Art Festival

Artwork: The Stranger: The Graphic Novel (2014) by Albert Camus and Jacques Ferrandez

Institut Français. Jun 8-9. Tickets tbc.

After making its highly successful debut back in 2016, the Comic and Graphic Art Festival returns for a bumper fourth edition, as a line-up of ten Francophone and Chinese author-illustrators come together for a series of discussions, exhibitions, improvised drawing duels and interactive workshops.

It’s all about presenting the medium as a fully fledged adult pastime, with themes ranging from the (re)discovery of the novels of Albert Camus with Jacques Ferrandez, the art of Pablo Picasso with Gisèle de Haan, the daily life of a PhD student illustrated by Tiphaine Rivière, or those of people living in Beirut, presented in black and white by Zeina Abirached.

Claire Levacher and the Beijing Symphony Orchestra

Forbidden City Concert Hall. Jun 13. 50-580RMB.

In honour of the 150th anniversary of Hector Berlioz’s death, acclaimed conductor Claire Levacher leads the Beijing Symphony Orchestra (BSO) in tribute to the romantic genius of the late French composer. Join Levacher, the BSO and guest violinist Zhang Jingye as they perform a programme of Berlioz and Bizet's greatest works.

Fête de la Musique

Various locations. Jun 15-21. Free.
Fête de la Musique is an annual festival of live music that's celebrated in over one hundred countries around the world, as part of World Music Day. Launched in France in 1982, it's now been in Beijing since 2012. Taking place in live houses across Beijing (for free!), this year's line-up features MNNQNS (pictured), KIZ, Lewis OfMan, Oré and more. Check our site closer to the date for the full line-up.

Picasso – Birth of a Genius

Artwork: Studies (1920) by Pablo Picasso © Succession Picasso 2019

UCCA Center for Contemporary Art. Jun 15-Sep 1. 188RMB (any day); 158RMB (weekdays); 138RMB (students).

Arriving this June, 'Picasso – Birth of a Genius' is the most significant exhibition of work by Pablo Picasso ever to take place in China. Offering a comprehensive overview of the first three decades of Picasso’s career, the exhibition includes 103 works drawn entirely from the collection of the Musée national Picasso-Paris, tracing Picasso’s development from childhood to middle age and promising an indepth insight into the life of one of the most influential artists in the history of modern art.

For more great things to do in Beijing, hit 'Read more' below. 

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