Caochangdi Galleries Given Two Weeks Notice Before Demolition

Closures in Beijing's hutongs no longer have the ability to shock, which is why a last-minute forced relocation and demolition of galleries out in the city's northeast Caochangdi "Art Village" is all the more conspicuous in comparison.

Notices were taped to each of the four premises last Wednesday

Four spaces, including the de Sarthe Gallery and X Gallery, found that they had been slapped with official notices on Wednesday, Jul 18, as well as several rounds of the ominous but now prosaic red spraypaint "拆 chāi," or demolish. The notice, footed by Caochangdi Economic Cooperative and the Caochangdi Village Committee, explains that following an inspection of the premises, each has been deemed by the government as unsafe. Occupants have until Jul 31 to leave the premises prior to the water and electricity being cut off on Aug 1.

It only takes one character to condemn an entire business

Among the galleries, which all happen to be owned by one landlord, there seemed to be a consensus that the stated fault with safety was merely an excuse to uproot the venues. Other rumors circulating as to why this has happened now include the planned expansion of the road behind the buildings to include a green partition as well as freeing up of space for the new high-speed rail that is currently under construction only a few hundred meters away.

Work is currently underway on a Dongbei-facing high-speed rail a stone's throw from the buildings

A worker busy on the new track

A gallery assistant at de Sarthe stated that this was not in fact the first round of forced demolitions in the village and that two or three other venues had met a similar fate 12 months prior.

De Sarthe just wrapped an exhibition by Hong Kong artist Mak Ying Tung, whose piles of sand can't now help but take on a sense of irony

Speaking to a gallery assistant in X Gallery, he said that the management was intending to find a new space but that they would first need to move their belongings into storage given that it's no longer easy to find a suitable space in the city.

De Sarthe posts notice of their closure

Compared to the denser and more commercial 798, Caochangdi makes for an altogether more relaxed afternoon of gallery hopping thanks to the coziness provided by the regular community operating within the village's walls. For now, we're happy that it appears that other galleries like the Ai Weiwei-designed buildings that hold Pékin Fine Arts on the east side of the village and the more northerly Three Shadows Photography Art Centre won't be affected by this lot of forced demolitions. That being said, vague notices and an overnight change of fate for Beijing's venues across the city do little to allay fears of what might come next.

Images: Tom Arnstein, de Sarthe Gallery

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