黑料不打烊

Beijing Art Season, which was initiated by the founders of Beijing Dangdai Art Fair, kicked off last month. The four-day event co-mingles galleries, both major art fairs (Beijing Dangdai and Art 021 Beijing), and academic institutions to host artistic inquiry and international dialogue. I had a chance to view the fairs and partnering events before and during the season. Here are the highlights. 

Beijing Dangdai Art Fair

Founder Bao Dong spoke about how this year’s Beijing Dangdai Art Fair theme “Concave-Convex” explores how art is never “flat” but always dips and rises, at a press conference one day before opening the fair. Beijing Dangdai began in 2018 with the goal of promoting contemporary art in mainland China and beyond. Split into 10 sectors directing the visitors to varied art ecologies: value, future, wonder, digitalization, energy, co-time, special art project, meeting, symposium, story, and focus the fair took place at the Agricultural Exhibition Center in Chaoyang district, featuring 52 galleries and over 121 organizations, from 52 cities worldwide. 
A vast majority of the works were abstract paintings and portraits. Most of the exhibitors seemed more motivated to show the breadth of their collection than pulling one together that communicated a cohesive through-line. But some booths were innovative while still maintaining a consumerist flair.

Bounded Space booth, Beijing Dangdai Art Fair 2025, Courtesy of the gallery.

The Nanjing Outsiders Art Center represented well for untrained artists from China. Wildly technical and meticulous drawings filled their space. The work on display lacked a certain symmetry, was attractive in its oddity, and also bold, colorful, and imprecise. The natural waves of a hand and mark making was striking like free form poetry. 

Bounded Space showcased the antonym for traces of the human hand. Inside, a robot diligently writes letters in the style and handwriting of artist Shi Liu’s late grandfather with each one individually unique and heartfelt. As the AI imitates him, a kind of misplaced ritual takes root. Liu stated, “distance already exists, a work is just a work” and grief continues in our loved ones’ absence. Mounted needle-felted wool sculptures by Sun Yinjing imitating concrete and a human heart; a glossy, wafting grass painting by Andy Harper; a woven canvas of patterned geometric blocks that leave its threads cascading to the floor by Day Dandan, and Tao Kaikand’s What we know, 2024, which leads the viewer into an ashy dreamscape of sorts and suddenly a naked back, collide for a visual refresher. Outside, duo Kuder and Liu Shuyan’s more than 10-foot-tall interactive installation, Waterfall, invites wistful creativity for fair goers to instinctually draw on the canvas to participate in a “flow of art” as the conveyer belt canvas turns skyward symbolizing the “transmission and sharing of art, constantly evolving like the water flow of a waterfall…”

Kudur & Liu Shuyan, Waterfall, 2025, small belt conveyor, canvas, oil painting stick, marker pen, 60 × 40 × 400 cm × 3

Tiger Room (DE) spotlighted works from Heeyoung Rosa Joe, Frida Kato, Julia Klemm, Sophia Mainka, and Sarah Neumann. Mainka joined the gallery commenting that her mounted wax sculptures take inspiration from hunting trophies, which values are represented through them, how we turn valuation into objects, and creating new values through sculpture – like empathy and curiosity.

The fair’s Forum offered space for artists to discuss and make commentary on their work in conversation with others with similar media or themes. In the Women Defying a Single Narrative segment, photographer Feng Yu, and painters Qing Bowen, and Bu Lugao, from the Various Portraits of Women booth were interviewed on their practice, the work on view, and if there were any recent findings. Feng then interacted with the audience asking if any women listening were single mothers and about their experiences, as this is central to her current practice. Single motherhood is a newer phenomenon in China, as divorces have increased especially in the aftermath China’s lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. Representation of this demographic by a senior photographer gives the title less power as taboo and let listeners know that they are seen positively. The diversity in female Asian artist practices was interesting, though the talk could have focused more on if a female Asian monolith exists, how exactly these women are defying it, though admittedly, platforming female artists is always good news.

More stand-outs include Qu Xiaoxiao’s airbrushed florets, feet and faint face, Sun Yifei’s hegemonic Kung Fu Tea, He Yunchang’s performance photography One Rib Grow at K Gallery, and Monilola Olayemi Ipupeju’s Body Builder from PSM Gallery.

Qu, Xiaoxiao, Muse +5, 2025, Acrylic on canvas, 100 x 80 cm, courtesy the author.

Shun Yifei, Kung Fu Tea, 2025, Acrylic spray paint on canvas, 200 x 150 cm, Courtesy the author

Moving to the main art hub of the 798 Art District, Beijing 021 Art Fair was in full swing.

Art 021 Beijing

The Art 021 Beijing art fair was much smaller than Beijing Dangdai but the impact of the fair was focused, contained, and calm. Located at the 798 Art District‘s Tank 79, an industrial empty dome, and the First Workshop, also an old defunct factory, booths here seemed to have an idea of how they wanted to vary the media within their showcase, but most of the fair was still painting. Although there were similarities in the fairs’ prioritization of commercial sales over storytelling, Art 021 left room for different formats of exhibiting with their forum space which was right across the street from the main fair in the First Workshop space. Exhibitors quirkily installed their works in long shallow wooden art shipping boxes, refreshments right to the front of the space, and the forum directly when walking in. The dimly lit factory setting and choice of warm earthy tones, created an environment of intimacy where listening was encouraged.

Tang Contemporary Art Center at Beijing 021 Art Fair 2025, Courtesy of the gallery

Tang Contemporary Art Center participated in both fairs, and their Art 021 show was gripping. Balancing texture, figurative work, and sculpture that share themes of women’s stories, leisure, play, and other worlds came together to create a certain clean flow.

The presence of auction houses at Beijing Dangdai was surprising. With Beijing Poly International Auction, Holly’s Auctions and YONGLE SPACE all under one roof some would argue that fairs, galleries, and auctions share a fierce competition in the arts ecosystem for sales. It was interesting and slightly alarming to see them working together during the season and displaying pivotal work such as Zhang Xiaogang’s Father and Son No. 2, 2007, and Wu Guanzhong’s A Water Country Bridge in the South, 1993, from Beijing Poly International Auction.

Tang Contemporary Art Center at Beijing 021 Art Fair 2025, Courtesy of the gallery

Partnering Galleries and Institutions

Many institutions in 798 and around Beijing partnered with Beijing Dangdai to increase the festivities of the season connecting their current shows to the art fairs timing The UCCA Center for Contemporary Art’s Anicka Yi: There Exists Another Evolution But In This One hosts Yi’s media expansive works of scents, tempura flora, and “breathing” mechanics explore themes of existentialism, how we are to get along with or reject technology as it continues to evolve. Red Brick Art Museum on the outskirts of the city has a solo show by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota, Silent Emptiness, which contemplates visual meditations and a new turn in the artist’s practice.

Final Notes

The volume of simultaneous events in this year’s Beijing Art Season suggests that the city is working towards defining a contemporary arts destination by building out annual programming to attract art collectors, gallerists, and artists. The activities were far and wide for different tastes, which was a plus, but the logistics created complications.

Fairgoers may have the expectation that one simply enters any organization freely, which is no longer the case in Beijing. A little guidance on how to visit certain exhibitions would improve the overall experience on how to register to visit official areas of the city, especially to non-Asian or Chinese citizens. Because of Beijing’s surface area, getting around through traffic in a timely manner to experience the majority of desired listings on either fair's program proved to be nearly impossible.

I later noticed a map – something that would have been immensely helpful had I seen it earlier. A mandatory guide through the entire app, would force viewers to be led by all the helpful tools I’m sure Bao Dong and his partner worked on all year.

Beijing Art Season’s inaugural programming took place throughout May culminating on June 1st. Those who have yet to visit partnering institutions may still catch exhibitions on view through late June and August.

Overall, the first Beijing Art Season technically went off without a hitch. There were more visitors than in years past according to locals and when asked, visitors were satisfied with how many events were happening in coordination with Beijing Dangdai without any fierce qualms. Artists and students follow in the vein that there was much to see, but not much to think about and those that stood out, really stood tall.

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