Small exhibitions with names such as “BEAT ON: The Beatles,” “Look at the Fruits,” “Secret Garden,” and “Extraordinary Voyage of Barilin" are not only scattered in China's art galleries but also in business districts of big cities like Beijing.
They have different themes and setups, but they all have one feature in common: they are great spots for people to take photos and post on social media feeds such as the "Moments" section in China's Twitter-like WeChat.
Not for art fans, but “Moments” fans
When you search for such an exhibition online, results such as “Great place for taking photos,” and “You’re going to sparkle on ‘Moments’ with photos here” pop up, with little to no mention of the art on display.
In fact, many of these exhibitions don’t even have real artworks.
For example, each exhibition hall in “Look at the Fruits” features a fruit color, with objects such as a motorcycle or mini-plane also of the same color. The entire exhibition consists mainly of bright paintings on walls, with little actual art on display.
Meanwhile, old photographs of the Beatles and posters of their performances are on display at the “BEAT ON: The Beatles” exhibition. But more striking is the layout of the exhibition space, pink, brick-red, yellow, black and white... each room has a unique color
In some of the rooms, there is not a single item on display, with only the lyrics of the band's famous songs printed on the walls and floors.
It is not hard to find that, no matter what the exhibition theme is, there should be at least nine scenes to meet the requirements of posting in one’s WeChat “Moments” section, as a user can post a maximum of nine photos each time. Sweet colors are also standard since the visitors are primarily young girls.
Properly posing for these new art exhibitions
With the rise of these kinds of exhibitions, a proper strategy for taking the best photos are also emerging. “Looking away,” “looking back as if someone is calling your name from behind,” and “imitating artworks” are all tips for taking good photos.
Low investment, high return
Plenty of people are willing to pay the bill. According to People.cn, the “Marshmallows and Day Dreams” exhibition last year received 500 visitors every day, and nearly 50,000 people came in three months. A total of 250,000 visitors flocked to the exhibition “Wandering in Space” in three-and-a-half months.
Encouraged by this, a number of galleries are willing to produce similar exhibitions, some featuring visual content, others featuring multimedia interaction, and some having simply “text.”
With an entrance fee usually at about 100 yuan (about 15 U.S. dollars), the returns are quite substantial.
Some people have criticized these exhibitions for lacking spiritual nourishment and real art. Shi Yanliang, who is among one of the first artists to create such installations, said, “People nowadays need to relax and if posting great photos is a kind of relaxing, then it’s worth it for the visitors.”