A perspective on the world-class contemporary art museum in NW China's Xinjiang

Editor's note: Jan Oberg is a special commentator for CGTN and the director of the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research based in Lund, Sweden. He is also an art photographer. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

It's definitely world-class, but enigmatically, it is not mentioned in any of the leading Chinese or Western tourist sites and does not have a homepage. A kind local Chinese guided me to it when I asked whether I could see some modern multi-ethnic/cultural Xinjiang art somewhere in that huge capital. Here is a Chinese site about it.

I was overwhelmed and spent five hours walking around its many halls. It was full of visitors – local art lovers, families with children, art students, and young girls dressed in fashion who used the artworks as backgrounds for selfies and group photos. There is free entrance, like at most other museums in China. 

You'll see in the photo that I stumbled upon the 4th Xinjiang · China International Art Biennal, organized by China's Ministry of Culture and the People's Governments of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and its Department of Tourism. So it's a central-provincial endeavor that also hopes to attract tourists – like, say, the Venice Biennale.

However, many Chinese I spoke to in the eastern parts have never visited Xinjiang, and there are very few foreigners in Xinjiang. During those five hours on September 15, 2024, I saw no other non-Chinese.

I hope that will change. After a week's travel around the province, Xinjiang has so much to offer visitors. Situated in the northwest, Xinjiang is China's largest autonomous region, with 25 million inhabitants. The region is populated by more than 40 ethnic groups, the largest of which are the Uygurs and the Han Chinese. This autonomous region is 80,000 square kilometers larger than France, with breathtaking nature and extremely diverse cultural expressions.

And that richness and diversity are very well exhibited at the Xinjiang Art Museum, like in the many other places, counties and cities, I visited.

Apart from changing exhibitions, there is a fine collection of Xinjiang art over the last 100 years, created by artists of all nationalities – as far as I understand. Now, read here what was on display.

Below are the first artworks I stopped at. Positioned vertically is one of the typical patterns from Xinjiang cloth, where the old pattern is braided by electric cords, and horizontally, on the floor is the same pattern digitally programmed and ever-changing as a connected light sculpture. In other words, the old and the new Xinjiang melted together.

Then there are other multimedia: interactive, digital and more traditionally contemporary artworks.

A word of caution! In this article, I merely show some examples to give you the "flavor." I do not have the necessary knowledge to offer you any interpretations or art history backgrounds to the works, but it is important to me to say, "See what I have seen!" Simply because I believe it was all truly amazing, truly overwhelmingly diverse, and of the highest quality, in my book. The museum is so well built for art, and the exhibitions are so delightfully arranged.

I can only "complain" that quite a lot of the art wasn't accompanied by English texts and that I was unable to find a cafeteria or restaurant. Also, there were far too few chairs or benches to sit on and meditate in front of the artworks. If you are interested in the artists' names, I may provide some but far from all.

There are also light and video installations and "classical" abstract art with many experimental materials, techniques and expressions. Here and there, you may sense an inspiration from Western abstract art. You might think that it detracts from the quality and originality of these artworks, but it doesn't.

Then there were several sections with art from the last 20-30 years, collections of works by one Xinjiang artist after the other.

There are also halls full of older artworks and art magazines. 

Works with a focus on religion, Buddhism in particular, are also on display. The first image below is a close-up excerpt.

A small collection of exquisite sketches and portraits caught my attention. Do you see Zhou Enlai?

Museum visitors today mostly see artworks on their mobiles. I do, too. Otherwise, I could not share these with you! But most people do not write articles and use their shots like I do here.  

Perhaps the reason so many people view art through the lens on their phones rather than with their own eyes is that they feel they can "see" more in a short time, can take the art home with them, and view it at their leisure. The reason could also be to share them with friends and family who were not there. There may be many reasons.

It is hard to say what people – even interested people – perceive and reflect on while shooting pictures while they walk through an exhibition.

The Chinese are no different from Westerners in this respect. They take the photo first and perhaps view it later. I guess the average time devoted to each artwork is some five seconds.

Then, there is another purpose that has nothing to do with art. That is about shooting selfies and other images with artwork as a backdrop.

This one is interesting, at least for me, as an elderly Western gentleman. A young woman was taking selfies while moving around the museum, but she used an app that allowed her to manipulate her looks or even change her persona.

These are top-rated beauty camera apps, where you'll learn that "Chinese beauty camera apps are mobile applications that use advanced technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the user's appearance in real-time. These apps offer various features, such as skin smoothing, face slimming, eye enlargement and makeup filters, to create a perfect selfie. The user can also adjust the intensity of the effects to achieve their desired look.

Chinese beauty camera apps are incredibly popular, with millions of users downloading and using them daily. These apps have become an essential tool for Chinese consumers who are increasingly interested in beauty and self-expression.

While I was looking at some paintings, the young lady approached me and asked by way of gestures whether it was okay for her girlfriend to take a photo of her with me. "Of course, you're welcome," I said, and her friend took two to three shots of us. Then I gestured back that I wanted to take one of her, and these two snapshots are what came out of that maximum one-minute encounter across culture and generation. Afterward, she got shy or could not help laughing. I'm not sure which.

But what a beautiful attitude to a stranger. Sadly for me, she did not speak English, and I speak no Chinese. Anyhow, this is the kind of attitude a visitor to China will meet again and again.

Culture, politics and artful bridge building

There is a desperate need for dialogue and bridge building. In a few years, Xinjiang could become one of the world's leading multicultural hubs. It is multi-ethnic and multicultural and thrives visibly in terms of socioeconomic development, not the least, thanks to huge investments from the central government in Beijing.

Add to that Xinjiang has eight neighbors, amazing natural beauty and a rich history related to the historic Silk Roads and is the gateway from China to the rest of the world via the New Silk Roads or what is called The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which China initiated in 2013. 

Today, it is humanity's, and probably history's, largest cooperative effort with 140 plus participating countries – just not those we call the Western world, NATO and the EU.

As a peace researcher and art photographer, I work to build bridges, engage in citizen diplomacy and further dialogue. Xinjiang is very open and keenly interested in building bridges with people in the West at all levels. I know that from conversations at all levels, including the province's leadership.

I'd like to suggest that people in the art world take some concrete steps to build art bridges between China, Xinjiang in particular, and the West – even though Western politicians at the moment prefer confrontation.

"The times they are a-changing" and so are the spaces. The young Xinjiang woman above is destined to live a good life in a very culturally dynamic society. I see modern art treasures at this magnificent museum as an indicator of that better, emerging future.

And why not? The synergy between rapidly growing innovation and production on the one hand and the art world on the other has changed the world before.