State of the Arts: Japanese Glassware, Vintage Posters, and the Indefatigable Marina Abramović
State of the Arts is our regular arts column wherein we take a look at the newest moves in Beijing's creative scene and highlight art news as well as exhibitions, artists, and openings that you should seek out.
Until May 30: Exhibition of Glass Works by Kota Arinaga
Kota Arinaga is a Japanese glass artist whose singular works alone have the power to make you fall in love with glassware. No single piece is like any other, and all of his works, which use glass texturing techniques such as vetro a reticello and gaze, are elegant, simple, and delicate, with a dash of wabi-sabi aesthetic charm. The exhibition includes one of his most popular creations: the asymmetric bubble wineglass.
Free. Tue-Sun 10.30am-7pm. Belle Ville, 100 Northwest to the cross of Chaoyang Beilu and Huangqu Donglu
和锦薇棠：朝阳区朝阳北路与黄渠东路交叉口西北100米
Until Jun 2: “Iron Women and Red Stockings”: Propaganda and Gender Politics
Despite what the title may have you believe, this exhibition at the Danish Cultural Center in 798 has nothing to do with Margaret Thatcher, but instead brings together memorabilia from women’s liberation campaigns and propaganda posters from both Denmark and China, spanning from the 1940s through to the 1970s. The collection specifically looks at how politicians and policies at the time looked to promote gender equality and female rights, tracking the movements and cultural shifts that had a far-reaching influence on both Chinese and Danish societies.
Free. Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. Danish Cultural Center, 798 International Arts District, 706 Beiyi Jie, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District
丹麦文化中心：朝阳区酒仙桥路2号798艺术区706北一街
Until Jun 9: The Abode of Anamnesis
Featuring seven up-and-coming photographers, this exhibition looks at how each uses their medium to dissect historical narratives. From exploring personal and family history to specific historical events, as well as reflecting on the theme of historical narratives in media itself, the artists posit themselves as archaeologists, taking us on a deja vu journey to somewhere we will never get a chance to visit – the intriguing past. A portfolio of the works will be published after the show.
Free. Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. OCAT Institute, Jinchan Xilu, Chaoyang District
OCAT 研究中心：朝阳区金蟾西路地铁7号线欢乐谷景区站B出口向北100米
Until Jun 15: Marina Abramović
Marina Abramović, the “grandmother of performance art,” has throughout her career made it her objective to explore the ritualization of simple daily actions through movement, inaction, and grand performances elevated sometimes shrouded in controversy. Those latter projects, which often push physical and mental limits, are renowned showstoppers, of which the 736-hour and 30-minute static, silent project Artist is Present at the Museum of Modern Art in 2010 is perhaps the best-known. This exhibition at Light Society in Shunyi features Abramović’s new and critical past works spanning her 40-year career in the mediums of video, photographs, and sculpture.
RMB 50 (click here for tickets). Tue-Sun 11am-5.30pm. Light Society, 56 Bldg, 12 Zhuyuan Road, Shunyi District
光社：顺义区竺园路12号院56号楼
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Email: kuang@thebeijinger.com
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Photos: courtesy of featured museums
