Upcoming Don't-Miss Art Events for February and March

We all know that Beijing is the cultural capital of China, but it takes a lot of work and most importantly public support to maintain this standing. Make sure to get out in the next month to check out some of these amazing art events happening at a venue near you:

1. Etcetera 

FEB 25: This one night solo event from Swiss artist Stéphane Blumer will exhibit a variety of work, ranging from video and performance to objects, all of which were informed by his research residency at IFP on the difficult short comings of cross cultural communication, language, censorship and humor. Stéphane’s new work, The Work Messenger captures 100 individuals filming themselves with a mobile phone, repeating the message recorded by the previous messenger. This original message eventually becomes dissolved and mutated into personal meaning. FREE. Institute For Provocation

2. Hermeneutics of a Room

MAR 1: Curated by Garcia Frankowski, the exhibition explores possible interpretations of the room as a container of space, filled with experiences, relationships, feelings, and identity. Various mediums including sculptures, paintings and photographs will be used to inform our subjective awareness on how to interact with the art and the space that contains it. FREE. Intelligentsia Gallery

3. JUE Presents: Nghi Vollmer

MAR 9: Drawing on her architectural skills, Vollmer creates unique three-dimensional forms out of discarded magazines, cardboard and food packaging that she has collected and re-appropriated as materials, drawing on thousands of incongruent pieces that assemble like a mosaic to create entirely new compositions. As an environmentalist, Nghi Vollmer’s artwork is a product of her commitment toward sustainable living and the environment. FREE. 10:30am- 12:30pm. Today Art Museum

4. ABS Graffiti On Workshop 

MAR 15:  Graffiti On is organized by the prestigious Asian graffiti collective ABS Crew. It’s an interactive platform where graffiti enthusiasts can share, study and celebrate each other’s works. In this workshop, ABS will invite graffiti masters to share their experiences and provide hands-on tutoring; afterwards, this will be followed by an hour-long graffiti contest after the workshops with some epic prizes available to be won! FREE. 3-5pm. 798

5. Surge Art Gallery Launch Party

MAR 14: SURGE is an important platform for emerging artists to display their artwork to Beijing’s hungry collectors. With all pieces priced below 20,000 RMB and over 250 artists participating, this preview is your first opportunity to see what’s in store for SURGE Beijing 2014. FREE. 7-10pm. 15th Floor, Hotel M

6. Perceptual Space

MAR 29-30:  Bactagon Projects is pleased to present Perceptual Space, a 24-hour experience revealing the transformative power of sight-specific photography from Bu Yun Jun, sound-installation from local electronics wizard Meng Qi, as well as an interactive performance engaging all of the five senses with Chen Xi. FREE. 5pm-5pm. Home Inn Dongcheng District. 

7. Suspending Ma Yongfeng Solo Exhibition

MAR 15- APR 26: With this new exhibition at Jiali Gallery, after several years in the field of social intervention, installation and participatory practice, Ma Yongfeng returns to photography with the Suspending series, marking an interesting and pivotal phase of his artistic expression bridging Chinese traditional culture with modernity in a discreet but  transformative way. Free. Jiali Gallery

8. A MadeIn Company Production: Xu Zhen

FEB 5- APR 20: Xu Zhen is one of the most interesting and promising artists working in China today. An irreverent artist with a voracious appetite for global information, he has a unique ability to produce work across multiple platforms and media. Xu Zhen is a key figure in the Shanghai art scene and a foundational figure for generations of Chinese artists born since 1980. RMB 15. UCCA. Read more

9. Art Post internet

 Mar 1 - May11: The term "post-internet" refers not to a time "after" the internet, but rather to an internet state of mind. In the context of artistic practice, post-internet describes an art object created with a consciousness of the networks within which it exists-from conception and production to dissemination and reception. Participating artists and collectives include Aids-3D, Kari Altmann, Cory Arcangel, Alisa Baremboym, Bernadette Corporation, Dara Birnbaum and many more. RMB 15. UCCA. Read more

10. Pablo Picasso's The Vollard Suite

MAR 1 to APR 27: This exhibition will include all 100 neoclassical style etchings made by Picasso between 1930 and 1937. The suite explores scenes of Picasso’s studio and bacchic excess, through neoclassical literature. The collection is named after Ambroise Vollard, the art dealer who commissioned the prints. Free. 9pm-7pm. National Museum of China. Read more

Photos: www.echinacities.com, Institue For Provocation,  ABS Crew