CULTURE|ON DISPLAY
Map of the Yangtze, a magnificent scroll painting.Giant Roll: Map of the Yangtze April 10 – April 30
National Museum of China, Beijing
On display is a 200-meter-long, 1.5-meter-tall scroll painting themed on the Yangtze River, a mother river of the Chinese nation. It took a year for 50 artists to complete the project.
Titled Map of the Yangtze, the painting is a majestic and magnificent joint project that fully captures the splendid scenery of the Yangtze River such as snow-capped mountains, oases and plains along the banks, as well as the Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest hydroelectric project, and urban landscapes with high-rise buildings and highways that wind through the mountains—a diverse image of China’s new era fused with modern flavor.
A poster for “Carve the Era: Art Exhibition of Young Sculptors.”
Autumn by Shen Hongbiao, 93×39×83cm, cast copper, 2017.Carve the Era: Art Exhibition of Young Sculptors
March 31 – April 13 National Art Museum of China, Beijing
The young generation of Chinese sculptors are full of vitality and creativity. They use a variety of forms and ideas to innovate the connotations of sculpture art.
The exhibition features 135 sculptures by 28 young Chinese sculptors, highlighting the localization experience of the artists and showcasing to the international community the value of traditional Chinese culture. These works also emphasize greater possibilities of communication with the general public and feature more realism.
A poster for the 2018 John Moores Painting Prize (China) exhibition. 2018 John Moores Painting Prize (China)
April 10 – June 15 Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai
The exhibition is divided into two parts: China and Britain. A total of 116 paintings are on display.
The Chinese section features 103 works shortlisted for the 2018 John Moores Painting Prize (China), including the award-winning work Running on Thin Ice by Chinese artist Zhong Xueqing.
The British section exhibits 13 works by Michael Simpson, the 2016 British Grand Prix winner, including his latest Squint Paintings series and other works on paper.
The John Moores Painting Prize was founded in 1957 in Britain, and submissions are judged independently by a jury. Since its introduction to China in 2010, the award has attracted more and more attention from artists and the general public.
This year’s event in China set a new record in terms of the number and quality of submissions: A total of 3,319 entrants from widely diverse fields submitted their works.
A poster for the exhibition “Out of Nothing.”Ye Yongqing: Out of Nothing 1982-1992
April 12 – May 20 Yuz Museum, Shanghai
The exhibition showcases 85 works by famous contemporary Chinese artist Ye Yongqing, from the collection of the Yuz Foundation. They include oil paintings, watercolors, drawings and wood blocks in addition to poetry, letters, newspapers and journals. Organized across six themes, the exhibition traces the first decade of Ye’s creative career.
A professor at Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, Ye Yongqing serves as an art director of the Chinese Academy of Contemporary Art.
He is active in the art circles as a creator, curator, art organizer, and critic. Over the last few years, Ye has established studios in Beijing, Chongqing, London and Chiang Mai. He has held personal exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions in many places around the world. Moreover, he has won many awards both at home and abroad.
A poster for the exhibition “Reflection of Soul.”Reflection of Soul: Exhibition of Photographic Works by Yang Yankang
April 15 – May 20 Yishun Art Space, Shenyang
Yang Yankang is one of the most influential documentary photographers in China. For decades, Yang has remained devoted to photography related to religion.
Since 2003, he has trekked through Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan, Yunnan and other places inhabited by Tibetan people, resulting in the special album The Reflection of Soul, which showcases the scenery of Tibet, local lifestyles and religious practices.
According to American critic and historian A.D. Coleman, Yang’s Tibetan work has penetrated the upper echelons of global classics and mainstream documentary photography, and any Western critic can confirm its status.
The exhibition features 114 classic black-and-white documentary photographs by Yang Yankang, which were all enlarged and printed manually by the photographer himself.
Yang Yankang, born in 1954, currently resides in Guangdong Province, China. He works as a freelance photographer and a contract photographer for Agence VU, a French photography agency.