Be ready for Beijing's most important contemporary art exhibition of the year, as the second Gallery Weekend Beijing opens Wednesday. Over 22 galleries and organizations are participating in the event which takes place at 798 and the Caochangdi international Art District.

This year's Gallery Weekend Beijing features a series of exhibitions and activities. It's a showcase for the development of contemporary art in China. After a strict selection, 18 galleries and 4 non-profits institutions are taking part. Works from over 60 artists are on display, including Chinese artists Liu Gangshun and Zhujinshu, as well as some well-known international artists, like Paul McCarthy and Richard Deacon.

PHILIP TINARI, DIRECTOR ULLENS CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART "Gallery Weekend Beijing has become a very important platform in China for creating connections between the Chinese art world and the international art world. So you have many of the top institutions and art galleries here presenting shows some with Chinese artists some with international artists. And you have all kinds of people, from local Beijing residents quite important international museum directors, collectors from China and from beyond focusing on the work that we do."

There will also be many art communication activities. Dozens of dialogues and forums will be held by participating galleries on their exhibitions and the current status of China's contemporary art.

WANG YANLING, FOUNDER 798 INTERNATIONAL ART DISTRICT "We want to show the world China's most cutting-edge contemporary art. In the future, we hope this event can become one of the most popular art events in the world."

The Gallery Weekend Beijing also focuses on building a bridge between art and public spaces. This year features a new public art program, where nine outdoor works are on display. 4 are co-presented by participating galleries.

DING SIYUE BEIJING "With the development of modern art, the physical space of galleries has turned into a material for artists as well. The gallery has changed from a storage room for art works into art works itself."

The "Gallery Weekend" mode is rather new for China, but it has already become a tradition for art communication in many countries, such as Germany, France and Spain. It helps audiences to have a systematic understanding of the works. Friday and Saturday are VIP-only. The event opens to the public from Sunday to March 30th. DSY, CGTN, BEIJING.