6th edition of Gallery Weekend Beijing attracts more than 120,000 physical visitors
The 6th edition of Gallery Weekend Beijing successfully came to an end on Sunday having presented nearly 40 exhibitions by more than 30 exhibitors and attracted over 120,000 physical visitors despite the backdrop of COVID.
Recognised as a leading platform that unites local and international exhibitors as well as showcasing the strength of Beijing’s contemporary art scene and its position in the global art calendar, the 2022 edition of GWBJ was held from 28th June to 3rd July with VIP Previews from 24th to 26th June at the 798 Art Zone and other cultural sites across Beijing.
Celebrating Beijing’s bourgeoning and diverse art landscape, the GWBJ Academic Committee chose ‘Sharing’ as the theme that tied the event conceptually. The Main Sector Special Exhibition, entitled Crosstalk, was initiated within the framework of GWBJ’s overarching theme and co-curated by four young curators from Beijing’s Inside-Out Art Museum and UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, marking the first ever institutional collaboration in Beijing. Staged across the first floor of 798 Art Center, the exhibition presented more than 20 artists represented by Main Sector galleries and showcased a strong mix of artworks, including video, installations, sculptures, and paintings, among other medium.
This year’s Best Exhibition Award, a prize for commercial galleries participating under GWBJ’s Main Sector, was awarded to Fanny Gicquel’s solo exhibition ‘Now, and Then’ at Hua International. A young French artist who primarily engages in the field of sculpture and installation, Gicquel treads the porous boundary between the intimate and the impersonal, interiority and exteriority, waking life and the dreams to come. The jury for the prize comprises critics, curators, gallery directors as well as seasoned collectors who have discerning insights and distinctive perspectives on contemporary art.
Gallery Weekend Beijing Director, Amber Yifei Wang noted “this was without doubt one of the most successful editions of Gallery Weekend Beijing, in terms of our programmes and engagement with visitors, fully reflecting Beijing’s position as a city of resilience and a hotbed of creativity. Being one of the first major cultural events held in Mainland China in 2022 signalled a much-needed stride of confidence in Beijing’s art scene and sparked a revival of the local art market with continued engagement from local and international collectors thanks to our hybrid offerings. Here at Gallery Weekend Beijing, we ground our work in innovation and collaboration, and in this edition, we have certainly seen a new vitality in our programme across the board
Image: ‘Now, and Then’, Fanny Gicquel, 2022, Hua International Beijing, durational performance, with choreographer: Mengfan Wang; Dancers: Shuyi Liao, Dan Qian, Sihan Cai, Ryotaro Harada; Composer: Delawhere. Credit: Haiyang. Courtesy of the artist and Hua International.
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