The interior of the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA) in 798 District, Dashanzi here in northeast Beijing and the exterior of the UCCA featuring a large brick chimney soaring through the building to 164 feet above the ground which is a highly visible landmark and beacon for the arts district. / Courtesy of UCCA

By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter

BEIJING ― The saying ``Except for money and big studios, Chinese artists have everything they need,'' is indicative of Chinese artists who suffered turbulent times in the 1980s with the birth of contemporary arts.

But now Chinese artists seem to have everything ``including money and big studios'' at least in 798 District, Dashanzi here in northeast Beijing.

With the growing international presence here, the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA) opened Monday in a transformed Bauhaus-style electronics factory in the flourishing 798 art zone. Factory 798, a former military electronics complex designed by East German architects, was decommissioned in the 1990s.

The art center is the first of its kind as the only non-profit institution and the most comprehensive contemporary art institution in China founded by the Ullens family from Belgium.

The institution is currently holding an inaugural exhibition exploring the 1980s artists under the theme of ``85 New Wave: The Birth of Chinese Contemporary Art,'' as the first comprehensive display of Chinese contemporary artworks from 1985 to 1990.

The exhibit presents a total of 137 seminal works including painting, photography, video and installation by 30 renowned Chinese artists from that period such as Wang Guangyi, Xu Bing, Geng Jianyi, Huang Yongping and Zhang Peili.

UCCA Artistic Director Fei Dawei told reporters at the press conference on Nov. 1 at the center that this is the first major exhibition exploring the revolutionary movement of artistic and social transformation.

``Some of the most important works of contemporary Chinese art at the time were unknown to the world until late 1990s when they felt the influence of rapid economic development and the widespread fame of the political pop artists,'' said Fei, who is a specialist on the 1985 Movement.

``Our exhibitions are Chinese and international. We want to hold different cultural exhibitions and believe that contemporary arts are not just about Chinese contemporary arts and Western contemporary arts but they are different perspectives,'' he said.

He explained that the opening exhibition focuses on the revolutionary period in art history when Chinese artists broke free from decades of socialist realism and began a process of intense experimentation.



The center reconstructed by French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, in collaboration with Ma Qingyun who leads a well-known Chinese architectural office MADA s.p.a.m, covers a floor space of 8,000 square meters.

Comprised of two main halls situated side by side, the 86,112-square-foot building features 31-foot-high ceilings to accommodate monumental works.

Wilmotte said that he tried to install effective lights, which was one of the most important elements in architecture by regulating the quality of interior light, ensuring maximum natural light in the building without harming works with direct exposure to sunlight.

``Natural light using daylight is controlled and diffused through the center of the roof to protect artworks,'' said Wilmotte.

``Also, I tried to revive its architectural identity by symbolizing a large brick chimney soaring through the building to 164 feet above the ground which is a highly visible landmark and beacon for the arts district,'' he said.

The center will also offer educational programs such as art tours, screenings and lectures for schools and communities, which is also part of the efforts of the Ullens institutions.

Guy Ullens began collecting Chinese classical paintings of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties in the 1980s. He has also developed an interest and understanding of Chinese art in the mid-1980s Chinese Avant-Garde movement.



He said the focus of his collection has shifted to Chinese contemporary art. He has had strong links with China since childhood, as the son of a Belgian diplomat who was stationed in China for many years, where his uncle also served as the Belgian Ambassador. Guy Ullens retired from business in 2000 to focus on humanitarian and cultural activities with his wife, Myriam.

``To spread art knowledge to the general public as the only non-profit institution in the country,'' Guy Ullens explained his purpose for the opening of the art center in Beijing.

His collection features more than 1,500 works by several generations of Chinese artists.

The Guy and Myriam Ullens Foundation, established in Switzerland in 2002, promotes Chinese contemporary art by sponsoring events worldwide, lending works from its collection to museums and art centers, and organizing major exhibitions in China and Europe.

chungay@koreatimes.co.kr