2011 Mar 11 Art Attack: News, Red Lanterns, FT Debate, and Irish Shenanigans!
I have whiplash from how quickly things have accelerated since the chunjie lull. Between book festivals, new exhibits, ballets and Irish celebrations, there are TONS to see and do. But hey, we’re not complaining! The temperature’s lovely (even if the air quality is not), so shed those layers and hit the streets.
This is a good time to do it, as China is pushing to make art and culture more accessible to all. In Beijing, this means the National Art Museum of China (NAMOC) opened its doors to the public for free starting March 2.
According to a Xinhua news article, China has plans to make every public art gallery freely accessible to the public within the next two years, too, so it will only get easier to become that bonafide culture guru you’ve always dreamed of being. There you’ll be, in all your sophisticated glory, standing next to the guy who snuck in to wash his vegetables in the museum bathroom … Ain’t egalitarianism grand?
Moving along, check out all the exhibits and events going on this weekend and into next week:
Art exhibits:
Until April 10: Xia Xing paints images from the news, exploring our fleeting yet archival relationship with news media in his exhibit “2007/2008/2009/2010,” at Galerie Urs Meile.
Until April 18: Group exhibition “You Are Not A Gadget,” where four artists struggle with technology’s hold over our lives, has been extended at Pekin Fine Arts, much to our delight.
Until Mar 30: Lu Xinjian’s “City DNA II” starts with Google Earth images, which the artist then paints into abstracts of patterns and lines. At F2 Gallery.
Opens this Saturday: “New Photography in Korea” (see photo at very top) gives us a mouthwatering taste of South Korea’s oft-overlooked but vital and ever-growing art scene. At Galerie Paris-Beijing.
Ballet:
Zhang Yimou’s “Raise the Red Lantern” fills the NCPA stage with yards of fabric. And legs, lots and lots of legs. See the sensational spectacle Saturday at 7.30pm. Tickets here.
Capital M Literary Festival:
The 5-star restaurant’s first Beijing lit fest finishes with a flourish on March 12, with their 2nd Annual Great Financial Times Debate. This year, journalists and other great thinkers discuss the question “Is the globalization of culture a force for good?”
Kiss me, I’m Irish. Or, just take me to a couple cultural events:
March 18, Katie Targett-Adams & the Ireland Seely Band lead the audience into a reverie of Gaelic song and dance at the Forbidden City Concert Hall. 7.30pm. Tickets here.
This Saturday (Mar 12), “Irish Wave 2” kicks off at the China Central Mall. It’s an exhibit of contemporary art and installations spanning a spectrum of themes that give insight into contemporary Irish culture.
You might also be interested in :
Art Attack: Party Like Brazil, Remembering 9/11, and Caochangdi Art
This weekend, enjoy a Brazilian block party a la documentary festival DocBrazil, set in everybody’s favorite “new Nanluogu Xiang,” Wudaoying hutong; reward your trek to Caochangdi with at least five new exhibit openings; commemorate 9/11 with a documentary screening at the Beijing American Center; and catch ballet, piano, orchestras and more.
Art Attack: New Openings and Last Calls
Looking for some visual stimulation this weekend? Luckily, Beijing’s currently being hit with a barrage of new exhibits, ranging from photography to paintings to installations. Check out the list below for shows to treat your peepers to.
Art Attack: Culture Wars, Chinese Fortune Telling and Indie Flicks
Have you all heard, Hu Jintao's declared a culture war on the West? There's a signed essay circulating that cites the invasion of cultural exports like Harry Potter and Lady Gaga, and the Chinese have to fight back – with "the advanced culture of socialism" guiding the way. Um, good luck going viral on Youtube with that one.
Unfortunately, even Uncle Hu can't do anything about the black hole of sorts we experience in Beijing at this point in the year, especially where new art exhibits are concerned. (All the workers they need to help install the crazy contraptions are getting ready to blow dodge for chunjie.) There is one exception to the rule, and quite an exciting one at that. Luckily, you've got a great set of choices for film screenings coming up, including the next in Krzysztof Kieślowski's "Three Colors Trilogy", a couple gems at the UCCA's Indie Film Forum Series, and a campy 1960s "Secret Agents Series" kicking off at new hipster joint Modernista (quick, here's your chance to be an early adopter). Read on for the details.
Art Attack: Tofu Boy, Tintin, Chinglish and New Shows At Red Gate and Pekin Fine Arts
Nice work, Uncle Hu. Now that you’re officially focused on building soft power, we’re busier than ever trying to cover everything that’s going on, from stage productions to films and animation to art market issues and of course the ever-developing art exhibits our galleries have to offer. The weather’s cooling down but culturally, things in this city are definitely heating up.
Art Hike: Caochangdi
Our fifth and final art walk takes you to an area that's really the best of both worlds: well-curated, high quality exhibits kept safe from big-money development (so you can still revel in dirt roads, street markets and the like). Threats of Caochangdi's impending demolition mean this may change soon, so take it in while you still can.
