A summer guide to Beijing exhibitions

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In the scorching days of summer, it is better to go to exhibitions to cool yourself off and get in touch with your inner self through the arts than to stay outside roasting in the high temperatures. Here's your guide to exhibitions in Beijing during the dog days of summer.

1. Red Brick Art Museum

Olafur Eliasson: The unspeakable openness of things

Olafur Eliasson speaks at the press conference of his exhibition at the Red Brick Art Museum. /Photo via redbrickartmuseum.com

This extensive exhibit comprises an array of large-scale immersive installations, sculptures and works on paper by Olafur Eliasson, and encompasses the museum's eight exhibition halls, its garden and the Round Hall. Each space in the exhibition conjures a discrete environment dedicated to a specific phenomenon, such as light, fog, shadow, water, geometry and movement. The simple, yet effective experimental setups address topics that have been important to Eliasson throughout his career.

Olafur Eliasson is an Icelandic-Danish visual artist who works in a wide range of media, including installation, painting, sculpture, photography and film. Since 1997, his critically acclaimed solo shows have appeared in major museums around the world.

Map for unthought thoughts. /Photo via redbrickartmuseum.com

If you go: Mar. 25 – Aug. 12

Ticket: 160 yuan (US$24)

The Exhibition Hall opening time: Summer: May 1 – Sep. 30
Tuesday to Sunday: 10:00 – 18:00 (Last entry at 17:30)

Address: Hegezhuang Village, Cuigezhuang Town, Chaoyang District, Beijing

2. Song Art Museum

Bright moon shines through the pine trees – pine trees in Chinese ancient paintings

Song Art Museum. /VCG Photo

The exhibition emphasizes ancient Oriental elements while staying very much in tune with the atmosphere of the museum, where 199 pine trees have been planted. Forty-six paintings exhibited in the museum have different styles from the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, representing both famous painters and unfamiliar hermit masters. Through different perspectives and expressions of "pine trees," the exhibition reflects the special feelings of Chinese people toward pine trees and their important status in history.

If you go: April 28 – July 29

Ticket: 180 yuan (US$27)

Tuesday to Sunday: 10:00 – 17:00 (Last entry at 16:30)

Address: Gelasi Road, Tianzhu Town, Shunyi District, Beijing

3. The National Art Museum

Interstellar Stroll – Exhibition of Zhao Xu’s Works

VCG Photo

Zhao Xu shows a grand spiritual field to the viewers with a series of works with a "cosmic interstellar" theme. He injects his spiritual beliefs into these works and lays out overlapping, blurred, indescribable visions for viewers. The grand images convey the sound of chanting. We can almost hear the creators hesitating or indulging in love of the canvas. These works, originating from inner flows, are mirror images of the mind, illuminated by the stars. The vastness of the universe endows him with an inextricable feeling of homesickness. Looking up at the stars, the night sky blooms with deities, creating a transcendental dimension of art. Zhao Xu, acting as the shepherd, straddles the border between form and color.

If you go: July 12 – 22

Venue: Hall 6

Tuesday to Sunday: 9:00 – 17:00 (No Entry after 16:00)

Museum Admission Ticket: Free

Address: 1 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Great Tide Surges in Pearl River – National Art Works Exhibition

Photo via namoc.org

A total of 278 works will be put on display in this exhibition, including 100 traditional Chinese paintings and oil paintings on reform and opening-up collected by the China Artists Association from across the country. Relevant departments of Guangdong Province list important events and figures in Guangdong's reform and opening-up during various periods. The Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Guangdong Painting Institute, Guangzhou Painting Institute, Guangzhou Sculpture Institute and artists in Shenzhen selected 78 topics for artistic creation. Guangdong Province also selected 100 exemplary works created since the reform and opening-up period began.

If you go: July 27 – Aug. 5

Venues: Hall 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

Tuesday to Sunday: 9:00 – 17:00 (No Entry after 16:00)

Museum Admission Ticket: Free

Address: 1 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng District, Beijing

4. National Museum of China

Embracing the Orient and the Occident: When the Silk Road Meets the Renaissance

VCG Photo

Jointly organized by the National Museum of China and the Hunan Provincial Museum, this exhibition integrates more than 200 pieces from 24 Italian museums and 18 domestic museums to tell the story of exchange between Chinese and Italian artists during the 13th to 16th centuries. Through rediscovering the Chinese elements hidden in Italian Renaissance art, and re-probing the influence of the West on Chinese art, this exhibition reveals the complex dynamics of multicultural integration in the formation of human civilization. This exhibition brings together exquisite Chinese and Western art that spans time and space. In addition, this exhibition offers a thoughtful reflection on the subject of cross-cultural artistic exchange led by research experts from the international academic community.

If you go: June 9 – Aug. 19

Venues: Galleries S7, S8

Tuesday to Sunday: 9:00 – 17:00(Last entry at 16:30)

Admission fee: 50 yuan; 20 yuan (with student ID)

Address: 16 East Chang'an Avenue, Dongcheng District, Beijing

5. Today Art Museum

When Elegance Meets Art – Van Cleef and Arpels Patrimonial Exhibition

Photo via whenelegancemeetsart.vancleefarpels.com

Van Cleef and Arpels presents the exhibition When Elegance Meets Art at the Today Art Museum in Beijing from April 21 to Aug. 5. Displayed chronologically, nearly 400 jewelry creations and precious objects were carefully selected to reflect the evolution of the Van Cleef and Arpels style.

If you go: April 21 – Aug. 5

Venue: Exhibition Hall of Building No.1

Tuesday to Sunday: 10:00 – 18:00 (Last entry at 17:30)

Address: Building 4, Pingod Community, No.32 Baiziwan Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing

Source(s): China Daily