Art Attack: James Cameron, Gangster Wives and Caochangdi

Warmer climes are coming: dust off our bikes, unpack your tank tops and get used to going outside again. Galleries are installing new works, museums beckon with outstretched arms and we hear James Cameron will be making an appearance at this year’s Beijing International Film Festival. Ah, smell those spring blossoms already. No, wait, still just the pollution.

The BJIFF may have gone off with too much fanfare and too little actual information last year, but we hope their efforts to get things organized and properly publicized earlier this time around will pay off. Hey, they must be doing something right if James Cameron is coming, right? We can all look forward to seeing pictures of him on a red carpet in Beijing. Until then, we'll keep you posted on the actual movies we'll be able to catch.

There's also an exciting, unprecedented event taking place at the UCCA. In what their press release calls “an improvisational feast of music, song, dance and performance,” Zhan Wang and other artists – a cellist, modern dancer, vocalist, lighting technician and other instrumentalists – will be set loose upon the Great Hall, where Zhan has suspended hundreds of aluminum rocks. This either sounds really cool or really dangerous.

Museum-goers might be interested to know that the latest edition of the citywide museum ticket book is now available. It costs 120 kuai at post offices, museums and the Beijing Books Building in Xidan – and includes a number of free tickets to art, history, cultural and other museums all over the city, as well as vouchers for discounts. As the Global Times confidently reports, “The ticket book was launched in 1991. Surviving for 21 years in the market is a testament to the success of the scheme, which has been very beneficial to both purchasers of the book and the museums concerned.” Um sure, because it’s not like there are entire bureaus dedicated to doing whatever it takes to promote and support culture in Beijing. Not at all.

If museums are too staid for you, try all the new art exhibits popping up in Caochangdi this weekend. White Space Beijing, Alexander Ochs (pictured above), Pekin Fine Arts and Chambers Fine Art all have new shows starting this Saturday (see below for details). It’s also a good time to check out the new café we hear Max Levy (of Bei and Apothecary fame) is brewing up, called Radio.

And of course there’s the usual glut of film screenings. Most notable: Electric Shadows hosts a night of Korean cooking and Korean comedy My Wife is a Gangster at the Hutong. Sigsa sigan!

Event details:

NEW ART OPENINGS:

DO A BOOK
Feb 18-Mar 18. A bibliographic group show including works by cheeky typographist Xu Bing, homo-curious sculptor Ain Cocke and tchotchke photographer Hong Hao, among others. Free. White Space Beijing (8456 2054)

Hong Lei: Mi Lou
Feb 18-Mar 25. The provocative photographer, painter and installation artist shows new works with a more muted aesthetic. Free. Chambers Fine Art (5127 3298)

Beijing-Berlin Project: Meet Again
Feb 18-Apr 1. Artists from global art’s two “it” cities have formed a coop, melding their identities in layered woodcut prints. Free. Alexander Ochs Galleries Beijing (8456 2054)

Bai Yiluo: New Works
Feb 18-Apr 16. The self-taught artist unveils two new series: one looks back at patterns found on handpainted chairs and the other looks forward to the threat of high-tech surveillance. Free. Pekin Fine Arts (5127 3220)

EVENTS

Feb 17
Film: She Is the Matador
Some fight for suffrage, others fight for the right … to bullfight. (See also Feb 3, 10). Free (reservation required). 7.30pm. Instituto Cervantes (5879 9666)

Feb 17-19
Film Festival: Nordox 2011 Rewind
The Nordic documentaries are back for another go. Don’t miss The Extraordinary Ordinary Life of Jose Gonzales and Tears of Gaza again. RMB 15, RMB 10 (students with valid ID), free (UCCA members). Screening times TBD; see www.ucca.org.cn. UCCA (5780 0200)

Feb 18
Zhan Wang: “My Personal Universe” starring Utter Improv
A group of performers set their song and dance loose among Zhan Wang’s hanging rocks. RMB 80, RMB 40 (UCCA members, students). 3-4.30pm. UCCA (5780 0251)

Film: The Sword Identity
An answer to cheesy over-the-top wire-fu, this brainy flick offers a purist’s look at the lore and finesse of martial arts. Director Q&A to follow (Feb 10 only). RMB 40, RMB 30 (students and seniors), RMB 25 (members). 7.30pm. BC MOMA (8438 8258)

Film: Temptress Moon
The early Republican-era plot may be hard to follow, but watch it for the gorgeous visuals and staggering performances by Gong Li and the tragic Leslie Cheung. Reservation required; email contact@ cultureyard.net. RMB 25 (includes soft drinks and popcorn). 7pm. Culture Yard (8404 4166)

Feb 19
Film: Kung Fu Panda 2
Skadoosh, again. Free. 6.30pm. Mandarin Plus (5785 3361)

Film: Red Sorghum
Zhang Yimou at his directorial best, with a young Gong Li and Jiang Wen to boot. A young bride takes over her leprous husband’s wine distillery after his mysterious death. RMB 40, RMB 30 (students and seniors), RMB 25 (members). 4pm. BC MOMA (8438 8258)

Food, Film & Friends: Korea
Grill up some bulgogi, wash it down with kimchi, then get ready to laugh at madcap comedy My Wife Is a Gangster. RMB 240, RMB 200 (members), RMB 30 (screening only). 5pm (cooking), 7.30pm (screening). The Hutong (159 0104 6127; see Living directory)

Feb 19 & 23
Film: Picture Bride
A landmark film centered on the practice of Japanese and Korean laborers in Hawaii relying on long-distance matchmaking to bring brides from their homelands. Buy-one-get-one-free on Hawaii-themed cocktails. Free. 5.30pm. Modernista (136 9142 5744; see Nightlife directory)

Feb 23
Film: Sharkwater
The documentary that tries to reverse the shark PR disaster of Jaws. RMB 30. 7.30pm. The Hutong (159 0104 6127; see Living directory)

ENDING SOON:

Chen Wei: All About Her Songs
Until Feb 18. New sculptures in an aesthetic of mummified decay and loss. Free. ArtMia Gallery (8457 4550)

Wang Qingsong: Happy New Year
Until Feb 25. One of the shining stars of China’s gaudy art movement hits us with a carnivalistic New Year-themed exhibit. Free. Tang Contemporary (6436 3518)

Zhan Wang: My Personal Universe
Until Feb 25. Watch a giant boulder explode from six different angles on HD slo-mo. See Feature, p48. RMB 15. UCCA (5780 0200)

Lin Tianmiao: The Same
Until Feb 26. The globally respected feminist artist unveils installations laboriously ensconced in yarn and gold foil. See our February Feature. Free. Beijing Center for the Arts (6559 8008)

Chen Chunlin: Wokai Photography Project
Until Feb 28. The Sichuan-based photographer takes penetrating photos of rural workers for the NGO. Purchase one and 70% will help finance a micro-entrepreneur from Wokai’s site. Free. Green T. House Gallery (6552 8310/8311)

Photos: Aeromental.com, Avistaz.com, Dvdgameonline.com and courtesy of Alexander Ochs Galleries