State of the Arts: UCCA Meets Beijing's Music Spaces, Weekend Art Fairs & More

State of the Arts is our regular arts column whereby 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.

There are a number of interesting art happenings going on around Beijing that go beyond your normal exhibition starting from this weekend, and they all kick off on the night of Nov 4 with…

Where Inspirations Meet: A Tour of Beijing’s Music Spaces

UCCA is taking their current exhibition, Somewhere Downtown: Art in 1980s New York, on the road and around Beijing. With their Where Inspirations Meet series, the 798 art institution has partnered with four of the capital’s premier live music venues – nugget, Fruityspace, School Bar, and Zhao Dai – for an interesting project: each week through November, a local artist will work as musicians play a gig at one of the aforementioned venues, in order to see what they can create in an informal exhibition space.

Things kick off this Friday at nugget, where self-taught artist Long Di will be creating alongside musical acts Sourtower and Octopus Villain. From there, the series moves to School Bar on Nov 18, Fruityspace on Dec 3, and ZhaoDai on a yet to be confirmed date.

Where Inspirations Meet: A Tour of Beijing’s Music Spaces, kicks off this Friday, Nov 4 from 8pm at nugget. Tickets can be purchased via nugget (WeChat ID: 小块儿唱片) or via the UCCA mini-program.

FilmNeverDie x Dashilar Photography Events

Also happening this month, film photography collective FilmNeverDie has joined forces with Dashilar to bring a series of photography events and exhibitions to the hutongs south of Qianmen.

Along with a photography exhibition happening at 21 Sanjing Hutong until Nov 20 (check the poster below). There are a number of smaller events going on as well, including a photowalk series happening every weekend until Nov 19, focusing on a different theme for each walk.

This weekend, Nov 5, the focus will be on Black & White portraits. Following this, there will be an exploration of the “New Old” on Nov 12 and a focus on History & Architecture on Nov 19.

As if that wasn’t enough, FilmNeverDie is also hosting a lumen print workshop on Nov 6, where participants can learn how to make lumen prints – prints made by exposing photographic paper to the sun.

All above events are organized by FilmNeverDie. For more info and to sign up, add them on WeChat (ID: FND_lab).

Aotu Space’s Autumn Art Fair, Nov 4-6

Art is back at Aotu Space all weekend long starting this Friday. You’ll find everything from art and prints to take home and even snacks from the likes of Small Batch Cookie Co. and other Beijing-based creators and companies.

Aotu Space’s Autumn Art Fair is happening from Friday, Nov 4 to Sunday, Nov 6. Opening times are 5pm-9pm on Nov 4 and 12pm-9pm throughout the weekend. Tickets are RMB 20 pre-sale and RMB 30 at the door. Scan the QR code in the poster to purchase.

READ: Vibe With the Indie Electronic Beats of Local Band Nocturnes

Images courtesy of the organizers and venues