Ullens Center for Contemporary Art 尤伦斯当代艺术
From ArtSpeak China (ASC) Wiki
The Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA) is one of the largest exhibition spaces for contemporary art in China and the first cultural institution established by foreigners in the PRC. The UCCA specializes in sometimes boundary-blurring shows of art, design, fashion, music and multimedia. In addition to its comprehensive collection of contemporary Chinese art, the UCCA aims to help both established and emerging artists reach broad audiences through exhibitions, education and research.
Contents |
[edit]
Founding
The Ullens Center for Contemporary Art was founded by Belgian industrialist Baron Guy Ullens and his wife Myriam (Mimi) in December, 2007. It is located at No.4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District in Beijing's 798 Art District.
Baron Guy Ullens, the son of a Belgian diplomat stationed in China, felt closely connected to Chinese culture from a young age. His first art experiences in China occurred in the mid-1980s while conducting business for his family firm. During brief trips throughout China, Ullens traveled with local artists, established contacts and acquired artworks. Since then, Guy and his wife Myriam have become avid collectors of contemporary Chinese art. In 2002, they sold their significant collection of J. M. W. Turner watercolors to support acquisition of pieces by Chinese artists. The UCCA’s creation was inspired, in part, by the Ullens’s search for a larger space to house their growing collection.
The sale of the Turner watercolors coincided with the formation of the Ullens Foundation. The Foundation aims to promote contemporary Chinese art by organizing exhibitions and lending works from its collection to museums and art centers throughout the world.
[edit] 
Governance
To earn income and avoid intense bureaucratic scrutiny, the UCCA was established as a hybrid commercial operation and nonprofit organization. Revenues from entrance fees, the UCCA Store, restaurant, space rentals, sponsorship, and membership fees are used to finance the institution's operations and any surplus funds or "profits" are reinvested into the educational program.
On March 17, 2008 former director Fei Dawei was replaced by Jérôme Sans. On May 13, 2008 Guo Xiaoyan replaced Colin Chinnery as chief curator.
[edit] Facilities & Programming
The 8000 sq meter gallery space, a former factory space re-designed by architects Jean-Michel Wilmotte and Ma Qingyun, makes use of the building's original Bauhaus aesthetic with its lofty, vaulted ceilings and clerestory windows through which natural light emanates. The UCCA is composed of two large galleries. One, featuring movable walls, is designed to accommodate contemporary art in myriad spatial configurations, particularly oddly shaped installations. The complex also includes a cafe, gift shop, and a 130-seat auditorium used for lectures and performances.
The UCCA offers educational and research-oriented programs including conferences, lectures, special events, performances, workshops, and films. Programming is provided in both Chinese and English. Activity-oriented workshops for families and children are offered while the rest of the programming is designed primarily for adult audiences. Approximately half of the UCCA's events are lectures and seminars.
[edit] Reception & Reputation
The UCCA is highly regarded for its well-researched and generally positively reviewed exhibitions. Adventurous offerings have included '85 New Wave - The Birth of Chinese Contemporary Art (held in February 2008) and House of Oracles (June 2008), a retrospective devoted to the controversial art of Huang Yong Ping. Until his UCCA show, Huang had not shown in China since 2002, when exhibitions containing the plans for his Bat Project 2—a massive outdoor installation—were shut down. The relative freedom the privately owned UCCA affords its artists testifies to its commitment to champion the not always orthodox visions of contemporary artists in China today.
[edit] References
Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA)
The New York Times: A Belgian Couple Will Give Beijing a New Home for Contemporary Art
