State of the Arts: Cultural Relics From Paestum, Andy Warhol's Trip to 1980s China, and Japanese Folk Toys
State of the Arts is our regular arts column wherein we take a look at the newest moves in Beijing's creative scene and highlight art news as well as exhibitions, artists, and openings that you should seek out.
Until Jun 8: Anonymous Project
Anonymous Project is an ongoing series initiated by art shop For Example, which aims to feature works by outsider artists and amateur designers presented via both real objects and related photos and videos. As the first of its new series, this exhibition presents two projects by Chu Gini and Li Songshu (both pseudonyms). The former has gone deep into the old alleys of Beijing to get a glimpse of how the people living there have occupied parking spaces with abandoned bicycles and other obstacles, while the latter spent years filming and collecting cement blocks in the streets and narrow alleyways. They are two oddly specific projects that together give a metaphorical look at daily life here. Free. Mon-Fri, 11am-6pm. For Example
Until Jun 28: Cultural Relics from Paestum
This exhibition showcases 134 artifacts unearthed in the Paestum Archaeological Park in Italy over the past decade, including murals, statues, architectural components, painted pottery, bronzes, and more. Paestum was a major ancient Greek city whose ruins are famous for their three well-preserved temples in the Doric order that can be dated back to 450 BC. A must see for archeological nerds. RMB 60. Tue-Sun, 9am-5pm. China Millennium Monument
Until Jun 30: The Journey Back Home
This exhibition features some 800 cultural artifacts that had been illegally exported from China and were repatriated from Italy in early April this year after a decade-long judicial process between China's National Cultural Heritage Administration and the Italian administration. Those objects originally came from a number of different archeological digs and some of them can be dated back to the Neolithic era when Majiayao Culture prospered in Gansu province. Objects on display include relics ranging from the Han (206 BC to AD 220) to Ming (1368-1644) dynasties, and originate from Shaanxi, Sichuan, Shanxi, Henan, and Jiangsu. Free. Tue-Sun, 9am-5pm. The National Museum of China
Until Jun 30: A Journey in Love
A Journey in Love brings together depictions of over 10 different international artists’ all of whom traveled to China in the 1980s. Via the photographs, animations, audio files, and videos from those artists, the exhibit flings the viewer back some three decades in time, to a China that is both dramatically different and recognizable. Among the highlights: a documentary Made in China that records Andy Warhol’s journey from Hong Kong's glittering port to the mystique of Peking's Forbidden City. Also be sure to see the China Concerts exhibit, which documents the first international electronic music concert in China presented by Jean-Michel Jarre. RMB 120. Tue-Sun, 10am-6pm. Today Art Museum
Until Sep 15: Exhibition of Japanese Folk Toys
As is the case in most Asian countries, Japan's folk culture attaches auspicious meanings to many daily items, including children's toys and crafts. This collection brings together traditional toys from different rural areas in Japan that combine delicate craftsmanship with local folk culture, of which many were endowed with auspicious wishes to the kids or signals of their religious faith. Free. Daily 10am-10pm. Muji Hotel
READ: "You’re Not Just Buying a Piece of Jewelry, You’re Buying a Whole Continent" Says Local Designer
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Photos courtesy of featured event organizers
