Art in bloom: 6 superb exhibitions to see in Beijing this March
Photo: UCCA
Warm up your mind with these best exhibitions to see in Beijing
The mercury can be deceiving, sure, but spring is almost here in Beijing, which means a new crop of unmissable art exhibitions is coming into bloom. Embrace the warmer weather ahead by checking out these ongoing and upcoming artsy offerings in the city. There’s something for everyone this month, from big-name debuts to multi-sensory experience and avant-garde exhibits that are sure to warm up your mind.
Cao Fei: Staging the Era
Photo: UCCA
UCCA (Ullens Centre for Contemporary Art). From March 12. Every Tue-Sun. 10am-7pm. 90-130RMB
Avant-garde Beijing-based artist Cao Fei offers a candid glimpse into the rapid evolution of China and the complex, and often disruptive impact on individual lives and identities. Blending fantasy and reality into whacked-out, socio-political art through films, videos, virtual reality, and installations, her work confronts issues and challenges arising from the entanglement of pop culture, technological advancement, and intense urban change. UCCA presents her first major solo show in the country, which features the artist's most seminal work throughout her career and the debut of some of her latest projects.
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Seeing Sound, Hearing Time
Photo: MWoods
MWOODS. From March 15. Every Tue-Sun. 10am-8pm. Tbd
The artistic practise of Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto knows no bounds, whether it’s his critically-acclaimed cinematic scores or his concept of ‘installation music’. As the largest survey exhibition to date devoted to the music polymath, 'seeing sound, hearing time' offers visitors a chance to physically enter his music through a space designed by Sakamoto and his collaborators. Attempting to redefine how we experience a music album or an art exhibition, it features an extensive collection of unique, large-scale, multi-sensory audio-visual installations.
Christina Quarles: Dance by tha Light of tha Moon
Photo: X Museum
X Museum Gallery 5-8. From March 14. Every Tue-Sun. 11am-6pm. 40RMB (adv)
American multi-racial queer artist Christina Quarles confronts themes of gender, race, and queerness through an unsettling perception of self and social belonging: distorted and fluid portraits of the human body. Her hyper-coloured, crptic yet hugely compelling work translates the ambiguity of gender and racial identity. Catch her brilliant, gender-bending, and twisty paintings of bodies in her first solo exhibition at a major museum in Asia.
Giorgio Morandi: The Poetics of Stillness
Photo: MWoods
MWOODS. Until April 5. Every Tue-Sun. 10am-8pm. 119-199RMB
Catch renowned Italian artist Giorgio Morandi’s first solo museum exhibition in China before it closes. A showcase of Morandi's small-scale, contemplative portray of landscapes, and tranquil, still-life depiction of everyday objects, including vases, jugs, bottles and tables. The exhibition features over 80 of the artist’s crucial work spanning six decades, and is divided into four sections each as a tribute to certain elements and concepts in his work.
Rebekka Steiger: Des chromosomes dans l’atmosphère
Galerie Urs Meile. Until April 24. Every Tue-Fri. 10am–6pm. TBA
The Galerie Urs Meile presents the third solo show of emerging Swiss artist Rebekka Steiger. The exhibition features a collection of obscure, brightly-coloured artworks as a result of her unique approach of blending oil, ink, and tempera paints, with influences from the artist's previous residency at the galley and her study of Mandarin and Cantonese.
A Hidden Genius: Finding Vivian Maier
Photo: Today Art Museum
Today Art Museum. From March 21. TBA
Vivian Maier, the Chicago nanny who led a secret life as a street photographer, belatedly attracted critical acclaim for her bold black-and-white photographs that only surfaced after her death in 2009. Browse over 80 photographic work by the artist, including selfies and her discreet documentation of the people and streets of US cities in the second half of the 20th century.
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