Reviving tradition
The longstanding tradition of making nianhua paintings and prints during Spring Festival, or Lunar New Year, embodies wishes and blessings for the future by generations of Chinese. It was a booming business centuries back, when workshops in different regions developed various styles and skills, and many of these vintage works are now collected and studied by art museums. An exhibition at the art gallery of the China Millennium Monument shows works by students from the Academy of Arts and Design of Tsinghua University, who, under the guidance of veteran artisans and teachers, introduce new styles, techniques and forms to give the tradition a contemporary look. On show are paintings, creative products and graphic designs that convey a passion to usher old crafts into the modern age.
9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays.9A Fuxing Road, Haidian district, Beijing. 010-8418-7900.
Real-unreal set
Li Qing: Lighthouse and Cradle, an exhibition that's on until Oct 27 at Tang Contemporary Art's spaces in Beijing's 798 art zone, shows the artist's noticeable works, including Window, Spot the Difference and Hangzhou House, as well as his most recent creations. It offers a new look at the images, symbols and stories from real life, which intertwine in the artist's work in an unusual, striking manner. The works are shown in two separate spaces across one street. One space is redesigned as a maze, with the works on show in several nested chambers, and the other is a tent on the ground that looks like a light swaying over the sea. Visitors can feel both inspiration and confusion amid the "real-unreal" installations.
B01&D06, 798 art zone, 2 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-5978-9610.
