2019 Art Wuzhen: Art exhibition from old factories show new glamour

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Old factory, old rice barn, ancient houses -- places which tend to be forgotten or even shunned have found new life in Wuzhen, an ancient water town in China's Zhejiang Province.

As three main exhibition venues for 2019 Wuzhen Contemporary Art Exhibition, or 2019 Art Wuzhen, the North Silk Factory, the Rice Barn and West Scenic Zone are all time-honored places. Except for the West Scenic Zone, which is also part of the sightseeing area of the tourist town, the other two were all transformed from old buildings originally for industrial or agricultural use decades ago.

Factory turned art gallery

Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province has enjoyed a long history of silk production. Built in 1970, the North Silk Factory was a local state-owned enterprise intended to process the silk produced by local farmers. In its early times, it could directly buy silkworm cocoon from local farmers. Later the purchase and distribution of raw materials was managed by the state.

In its heyday, a grand port was constructed on the river to load and transport the silk it produced. Although it has been transformed to an art gallery now, its original industrial style is well maintained. Original designs like the dormer window, the collar beam, dome, trees aged more than 40 years were all protected or restored.

The old building in the North Silk Factory exhibition area. /CGTN Photo by Qu Bo

An old window on the wall of a factory house in the North Silk Factory exhibition area. /CGTN Photo by Qu Bo

An installation shows cement-made bottles, pots, kettles and other kitchen containers in the North Silk Factory. /CGTN Photo by Qu Bo

A corner at the North Silk Factory exhibition area. /CGTN Photo by Qu Bo

The entrance of the North Silk Factory exhibition area. This part was built in 2016 as an attachment building to the old buildings. /CGTN Photo by Qu Bo

A hallway to the interior of the North Silk Factory exhibition area. /CGTN Photo by Qu Bo

A statue set in the North Silk Factory exhibition area. /CGTN Photo by Qu Bo

A corner of North Silk Factory exhibition area. /CGTN Photo by Qu Bo

A bench inscribed with "ART WUZHEN" in North Silk Factory exhibition area. /CGTN Photo by Qu Bo

A rice barn storing art pieces

Unlike the North Silk Factory which was once the exhibition center for Art Wuzhen in 2016, it's the first time for the Rice Barn to open to the public as an art gallery.

Built in 1963, the Rice Barn was originally the Wuzhen food management office. Five years later, its scale extended to eight barns and three grain-drying grounds, and a river port. It was a large and important grain storing center, with two of the barns even set as "state-level reserve granary." Tons of grains were dried, packed, loaded on boats, and transported here.

The houses in the Rice Barn exhibition area. /CGTN Photo by Qu Bo

The houses, which used to be rice barns, in the Rice Barn exhibition area in Wuzhen. /CGTN Photo by Qu Bo

A dormer window in a house in Rice Barn exhibition area. /CGTN Photo

Old windows in a house in the Rice Barn exhibition area. /CGTN Photo by Qu Bo

The inner space of a barn in the Rice Barn exhibition area in Wuzhen. /CGTN Photo by Qu Bo

The interior of a barn in the Rice Barn area. /CGTN Photo by Qu Bo

Small plants in the Rice Barn area. /CGTN Photo by Qu Bo

Talking about the revitalization of old buildings, Wang Xiaosong, the co-curator of 2019 Art Wuzhen, said, "Architecture is only the body. How you revitalize it lies in what you want to add into the body, and what insight and method you adopt in this process. This is the valuable part."

Actually the old house-turned art gallery model is not a new concept. The renowned 798 Art Zone in Beijing is an example. Built during the First Five-Year Plan (1953-1957) as an industrial zone, the place was where the joint 718 factory lay.

Designed by a German architect and influenced by the Bauhaus style, the characteristics of the buildings here are marked by high ceilings, Y-shaped column, arc roofs in a crude minimalist style. Go inside, you will see the unique contrast brought by the modern art pieces and the outdated industrial mechanisms.

The old factory-turned art gallery in 798 Art Zone. /VCG Photo

In the eyes of Wang, such architecture basically have two functions. One function lies in the value of architectures themselves, another is for keeping memories.

Old buildings like the North Silk Factory and the Rice Barn are more meaningful to local residents than outsiders. They're part of their life and the history they've experienced. Chen Xianghong, the founder of Wuzhen scenic area and Art Wuzhen, who is also a native, also put his deep emotional ties into the old town's revitalization, Wang said.

The interior of a factory house in 798 Art Zone. /VCG Photo

Art can give new life to old architectures. The 798 Art Zone, the Rice Barn, and the North Silk Factory of Art Wuzhen are all manifestations of this new trend. Hopefully more forgotten places could spring to life because of the magic of art in the future.

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For more photos:

2019 Art Wuzhen: Dialogue of time and space in a water town

Video editor: Shen Anqi

Videographer: Qu Bo

Text by: Jiang Qingrui