For art’s sake: Xiamen is serious player in China’s blossoming arts and culture field
A number of galleries and museums have opened in Xiamenin the past decade, including the 798 Times Space Xiamen, the Kulangsu Gallery of Foreign Artifacts from the Palace Museum and the Xinhe Gallery
Long known for its tourism, Xiamen is becoming a serious player in China’s blossoming arts and culture field. The city recognises that a lively arts scene can play an important role in urban development and subsidises efforts to help it evolve into an international centre for creativity.
A number of galleries and museums have opened in the past decade, including the 798 Times Space Xiamen, the Kulangsu Gallery of Foreign Artefacts from the Palace Museum, the Xinhe Gallery, the Qianji Gallery, Three Shadows Xiamen Photography Art Centre and the Zhangting Art Museum. New venues for live shows include the Cangjiang Theatre and the Jiageng Theatre.
Xiamen is also home to a series of influential international art events, including the Arles Jimei Photo Festival and the Strawberry Music Festival.
One of the biggest art events on the calendar is the Art Amoy Art Fair held in May. Covering an exhibition area of 21,000 square metres, the four-day fair includes contemporary art, classic art and an auction display pavilion. This year’s edition featured 10,000 artworks by 1,000 Chinese and international artists, such as Nobuyoshi Araki, Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso and Murakami Takashi.
“Chinese artists treasure their traditions and yet are not being afraid to go beyond [them],” says Victor Orly, whose work has featured at the fair for the past two years. Orly suggests that China’s efforts to tie China more closely to Asia and points west through the “Belt and Road Initiative” have internationalised the country’s art scene.
Chinese artists treasure their traditions and yet are not being afraid to go beyond [them]
Another major art exhibition is “Rolling Snowball/8 – Homecoming”, which continues at the Three Shadows Xiamen Photography Art Centre until June 18. Organised by the Xiamen-based Chinese European Art Centre (CEAC), the show features paintings, photographs, sculptures and installations of 46 Chinese and Dutch artists.
