Latest news with #UCCA
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Are China's private art museums in crisis? UCCA's struggles are the tip of the iceberg
A wave of closures and cutbacks is sweeping through China's private art museums, ringing alarm bells about the sector's sustainability and raising questions about the outlook for one of the world's biggest art markets. The Jupiter Museum of Art, in Shenzhen, announced its shutdown in June. Days later, Qingdao's TAG Art Museum followed suit. Others, such as Ennova Art Museum in Langfang, founded by the company behind Hong Kong-listed ENN Energy Holdings, have been dormant for months. Even the Beijing-headquartered UCCA Centre for Contemporary Art has come under financial pressure. Insiders say the pioneering 18-year-old institution withheld wages from January to June, and that its plans for its Shanghai branch, which opened in 2021, are unclear. The current crisis in China is a result of corporate backers tightening their budgets , consumers curtailing their discretionary spending, and rising costs, people working at the museums tell the Post. The UCCA was founded in Beijing's 798 Art District in 2007 by the late Belgian collectors Guy and Myriam Ullens and is one of the oldest non-profit contemporary art centres in mainland China. Under long-time director Philip Tinari, it has maintained a solid international reputation for its ambitious and timely responses to contemporary trends. UCCA's third museum, in Shanghai, opened in 2021 and occupies three floors of the Edge (pictured), a commercial building. Photo: UCCA The non-profit foundation, backed by private investors, has expanded its footprint aggressively, opening three more branches: in Beidaihe in 2018, Shanghai in 2021 and Yixing in 2024.
Hypebeast
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
Pipilotti Rist's Hypnotic Landscapes Take Shape at UCCA Beijing
Pipilotti Risthas spent three decades reworking the relationship between video art and and the human body through hypnotic fields of touch and color. The Swiss artist recently landed at Beijing'sUCCA Center for Contemporary Arts, where she unveiledYour Palm is My Universe, her latest immersive solo exhibition. Curated by Yan Fang, the exhibition presents an elaborate showcase of Rist's pioneering practice, from name-making pieces like,'I'm Not the Girl Who Misses Much'(1986) and'You Called Me Jacky'(1990) to never-before-seen works, including a new, large-scale video installation — the museum's largest commission to date. With roots in ecological thought and Taoist philosophy, her sensorial works offer poetic alternatives to the algorithmic logic of image culture. Grounding the show is'Your Palm is My Universe'(2025), a newly commissioned installation that transforms UCCA's Great Hall into a cinematic, dreamlike atmosphere. Loops of hands, feet and faces punctuate draping veils of fabric, as Rist reimagines the space as a 'collective organism' against the backdrop an ambient soundscape by Surma. The piece confronts constellations of bodily reality as light and sound ripple through the hall. Alongside the titular installation, the'Heaven on Earth'wall mural and'Spring Chaoyang Chandelier'of pink swimsuits, build on this exploration of the individual-collective body through ideas of social codes, intimacy and public presentation. Rist, whose art has long meditated on vulnerability, innocence and the emotional toll of modern life, conjures a luminous world that finds wonder amidst the chaos of information overload. In a recent statement, the museum wrote: 'This exhibition is a hypnotically vivid reflection of Rist's enduring vision of art as a space for empathy, renewal, and imagination to come alive for embodied existence.' The exhibition is now onviewin Beijing through October 19. UCCA Center for Contemporary Art4 Jiuxianqiao Rd, Chaoyang,Beijing, China, 100102
Saudi Gazette
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Saudi Gazette
Antenna: Saudi artist Ahmed Mater opens first solo exhibition in China
SHNGHAI — The Saudi Ministry of Culture, through the Visual Arts Commission, has partnered with China's UCCA to present Antenna, the first major solo exhibition in China by Saudi contemporary artist Ahmed Mater. The exhibition will run from March 8 to July 8, 2025, at UCCA Edge in Shanghai as part of the Saudi-Chinese Cultural Year 2025. Showcasing over 100 works, Antenna offers insight into Mater's artistic journey, reflecting on themes of heritage, modernity, and social change. A key figure in Saudi Arabia's contemporary art movement, Mater's work has been exhibited in major institutions worldwide, including a solo exhibition at Christie's London in July 2024, which drew international attention. The exhibition is one of several initiatives under the Saudi-Chinese Cultural Year 2025, aimed at fostering cultural exchange and strengthening artistic dialogue between the two countries. By introducing Mater's work to a new audience, the exhibition contributes to a broader understanding of Saudi contemporary art while reinforcing cultural ties between Saudi Arabia and China. — SG
Asharq Al-Awsat
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Culture Ministry Launches Saudi-Chinese Cultural Year
The Ministry of Culture has announced the launch of the Saudi-Chinese Cultural Year 2025 in China, highlighting the strong, decades-long friendship and cooperation between the two nations. This cultural year marks a significant step in enhancing bilateral cultural exchange, featuring a series of events designed to enrich the cultural landscapes of both Saudi Arabia and China, and to deepen the historical ties between their peoples. Last month, the Ministry of Culture, in partnership with the Saudi Embassy, organized a Founding Day celebration in Beijing. The event showcased Saudi heritage through artisan demonstrations of traditional handicrafts and displays of Arabic calligraphy. In celebration of the Saudi-Chinese Cultural Year, the Ministry of Culture's Visual Arts Commission, in partnership with UCCA, is hosting an exhibition of renowned Saudi contemporary artist Ahmed Mater. Taking place from March 8 to July 8, 2025, at the UCCA Edge in Shanghai, the exhibition titled Antenna marks the artist's first major solo show in China. Featuring over a hundred artworks that represent Mater's artistic practice and cultural reflections, the show traces the artist's creative journey and offers a comprehensive view of his oeuvre. Mater is one of the most celebrated Saudi artists who has contributed significantly to the Kingdom's contemporary art scene and visual arts eco-system. His work has been presented in many notable museums and institutions, including Christie's in London in July 2024.
Axios
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Chicago Ukrainians call for truth and support
Illinois Ukrainians are outraged by recent actions and comments by President Trump on the Ukraine-Russia war and are calling for continued U.S. support. The big picture: With more than 100,000 Ukrainian-Americans in the metropolitan area, Chicago hosts one of the largest communities in the nation. State of play: This week, U.S. and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia to discuss ending the war in Ukraine and preparing for a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. But, so far, Ukraine has been left out of the talks. Driving the news: Ukrainian-Americans and their allies will gather at the Wrigley Building at 4pm Saturday and march to the Water Tower to commemorate the third anniversary of Russia's invasion. The march is organized by the nonpartisan Illinois division of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA). Specific UCCA Illinois demands include: Requiring that Ukraine be an "active participant" in the negotiations. Negotiating a peace that is "fair, just and reliable," leaving Ukraine with "security and sovereignty" as well as "economic and diplomatic support." Accountability for Russian war crimes and a commitment to NATO membership for Ukraine. What they're saying: This week, Trump falsely claimed Ukraine started the war against Russia and said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is "a dictator without elections" with approval ratings of 4%. The other side: " Ukraine did not start the war, support for Zelensky is over 50%, and Zelensky was democratically elected," UCCA Illinois president Mariya Dmytriv-Kapeniak tells Axios. "The reason Ukraine did not have elections by now is because Russia invaded Ukraine, and we have a martial law, and it is consistent with Ukraine's constitution during martial law not to have elections." Zoom in: Dmytriv-Kapeniak notes that the Ukrainian community is also concerned about the fate of more than 30,000 refugees who arrived in Chicago under a Biden-era program. "There's a lot of anxiety that the program will be terminated because [the refugees] cannot return back home. Their houses are destroyed and there's still bombing going on in Ukraine every day," she says. During a recent local Ukrainian unity meeting, Dmytriv-Kapeniak asked attendees to stand up if they knew someone who was killed or injured in the war or was on the front lines and, she says, "90% of them stood up." She is encouraging Chicagoans who have an opinion on the issue to reach out to their elected officials, especially Republicans. The intrigue: Ukraine may still have some leverage with the U.S. because it contains 5% of the world's rare earth minerals necessary for making equipment including capacitors in electronic devices and the brakes on jet aircraft.
