The first Gallery Weekend Beijing (GWBJ) will take place in March 2017, with 18 participating galleries and art institutions showing works by over 60 artists.
The three-day contemporary art event kicks off on March 17 and continues until March 19. Beijing Gallery Weekend is dedicated to making more apparent the significant work galleries do in expanding their artists’ careers, as well as Beijing’s burgeoning art scene.
The first gallery weekend in the world opened in 2004 in Berlin, to offer a more intimate space for galleries and collectors in comparison to art fairs, and to attract more international art collectors to the city. GWBJ was founded in 2016 by German artist Thomas Eller to support Beijing’s gallery system and artists.
“Beijing has some of the best galleries China has to offer and the aim of GWBJ is to provide a platform to enhance the visibility of their work and to support the gallery format,” said Eller.
“I feel very honored to work with these Beijing galleries and museums and we hope the event will become a must-visit destination on the global art world itinerary.”
Thomas Eller, CEO of Gallery Weekend Beijing, 2017. Image courtesy the Gallery Weekend Beijing.
The artworks included range from installation works and new media art to analog photography and ink and wash works. Artists range from the established to emerging and include Ai Weiwei, Zhuang Hui, Asian Dope Boys, Cao Yu, and many more.
The Best Gallery Exhibition Award will be presented at a gala dinner for VIPs on the opening night of the weekend. The award highlights the key role exhibitions play in the artistic process, and initiates a conversation on what makes a strong exhibition.
Liang Quan, Arcadia Revisited, 2015-2016. Image courtesy Hive Center for Contemporary Art.
The Gallery Weekend in Beijing will not only put the contemporary arts scene in Beijing in the spotlight, and provide the opportunity to explore works by Beijing-based artists, but will also emphasize the relationship between artists, collectors, and galleries related to the artworks and surrounding scene.