Art Attack: Red Gate’s 20th Anniversary, Kung Fu Flick and the Environment
Beijing’s first private contemporary art space, Red Gate Gallery, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this Saturday with the preview of their newest exhibit, “20 years: Two Generations of Artists.” It features 11 of their long-standing artists alongside their 11 picks for newer up-and-coming artists. Also this week, Jonathan Watts tells us more about China’s biggest environmental concerns. Or you can just sit there and watch a ton of movies while the world burns. (Dramatic guilt trips are the best.)
It’s hard to imagine Beijing when Red Gate Gallery first opened. 798 was still a set of abandoned warehouses. Caochangdi was still just a village. There were only two subway lines, and they cost five mao to ride. Fast forward to today, and it seems the city’s art scene is a completely different animal. For more about these changes from an artist’s perspective, read our feature with Guan Wei and Wu Daxin here. Then, to look ahead to the horizons of Beijing’s art scene, check out the show at Red Gate’s majestic Dongbianmen Watchtower location.
Pekin Fine Arts also has a new group exhibit on, so if you happen to be wandering Caochangdi this weekend, give that a look. The opening of the exhibit features the words “Spirit” and “Material” in the big block letters made famous by Fox Studios, a la Hollywood. They herald an exploration of stuff we can see and stuff we can’t.
You can also check out Food, Film & Friends at the Hutong on Sunday. Take note that this was rescheduled from the previous week, so you haven’t missed your chance to glory in the best food and film Canada has to offer... which I'll admit might not be much. P.S. Anyone else tired of "eh" jokes?
If Guy Maddin’s My Winnipeg doesn’t tickle your fancy, you can go lighter with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (also on Sunday), or heavier with Hou Hsiao Hsien’s A City of Sadness next Tuesday.
And what better way to celebrate America’s Independence Day than with a kick-ass kung fu movie? Director Peter Chan brings us wuxia master Donnie Yen, the always handsome Takeshi Kaneshiro, and the demure yet scandalous Tang Wei in the aptly (if unoriginally) titled Wuxia, his mega-stylish martial arts thriller.
Here’s the trailer:
Once you’ve got all this out of your system, sit down with Jonathan Watts at the Bookworm and learn more about how we can help the environment. My contribution: not using the AC, not using too much toilet paper and not showering.
July 2
20 Years
Jul 2-Aug 24. Beijing’s first private contemporary art gallery celebrates its 20th with side by side exhibits of longstanding artists with newer ones to hit the scene. Free. Red Gate Gallery (6525 1005)
Spiritual/Material
Jul 2-Aug 29. A new group exhibit focusing on the dichotomies of the stuff in front of our faces and the stuff inside our souls. Free. Pekin Fine Arts (5127 3220)
July 3
Food, Film & Friends: Canada
Cross your fingers: maybe the Hutong chefs will teach you to make Poutine. A screening of Guy Maddin’s My Winnipeg will follow. (Please note this event has been rescheduled from Jun 26). RMB 240 (non-members), RMB 200 (members), RMB 35 (screening only). 5pm cooking, 7.30pm screening. The Hutong (159 0104 6127)
Film: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Disney’s first animated full-length color film has more magic and creep factor than you probably remember. Reservation required: contact@cultureyard.net. RMB 25 (includes soft drinks and popcorn). 6.30pm. Culture Yard (8404 4166)
July 4
Film: Wuxia
Is this really the next Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon? Playing in theaters across Beijing. For one near you, start your search here.
July 5
Film: A City of Sadness
Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s landmark film about KMT brutality following the Japanese occupation in Taiwan. Soul-stirring if you don’t fall asleep (guilty as charged). Reservation required: contact@cultureyard.net RMB 25 (includes soft drinks and popcorn). 7pm. Culture Yard (8404 4166)
July 7
Book Talk: Jonathan Watts, Blue Sky Thinking
The Guardian correspondent is back to discuss his book When A Billion Chinese Jump and the environment in China. See our Feature here. RMB 30, RMB 20 (members). 7.30pm. The Bookworm (6586 9507)
