UCCA Beijing

Our Future: The Guy & Myriam Ullens Foundation Collection

2008.7.19 - 2008.10.12

About

Location:  Great Hall

Presented to coincide with the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Our Future: The Guy & Myriam Ullens Foundation Collection will tell the story of Guy and Myriam Ullens’ long-term commitment to Chinese artists and their work.

The Exhibition

With these factors as the context, UCCA presents: Our Future: The Guy & Myriam Ullens Foundation Collection. The exhibition will display a significant selection of the contemporary pieces from the Ullens Foundation collection. This will mark the first time that such a large selection of the collection is presented in China, including sculpture, painting, video, photography, sound and installations as well as new acquisitions and specific commissions. The selection presented in the exhibition includes groundbreaking works that explore how these artists are developing critical responses to the coexistence of many diverse experiences in China, such as the small gestures that are significant in daily life, or the mass media’s blurring of reality, fantasy, expectations and history, as well as the urban construction and destruction cycles.

Featuring 60 Chinese artists, including six new commissions, two performances and four recent acquisitions, the exhibition will present no less than 92 works by such artists as Chen Zhen, Gu Wenda, Huang Yong Ping, Wang Du, Wang Guangyi, Zhang Xiaogang, and feature new commissions from Amy Chueng, Cao Fei, Chu Yun, Qiu Zhijie, Shen Yuan and Wu Jicong. Our Future will also present site specific performances by He Yunchang and Yang Jiechang, and offer new acquisitions from Wang Jianwei, Xie Nanxing and Yang Fudong.

Viewing the exhibition is anything but static; it has been curated with a dynamic, experiential approach in mind. Visitors will discover the exhibition through an open space, in addition to platforms, tunnels, shadows and light for an overall playful experience.

This is the first in a series of exhibitions at UCCA that will explore key themes and artworks in the Ullens Foundation collection.

A comprehensive program of educational activities and events will run throughout the exhibition period, including international conferences during the opening weekend and the Olympics, as well as courses conducted in Chinese on the ‘hows and whys’ of collecting art. During the Olympic season, UCCA’s restaurant and terrace will provide a creative dining experience with a twist, with regular events hosted by musicians, artists and DJ’s.

A catalogue of Our Future: The Guy & Myriam Ullens Foundation Collection will accompany the show. The 200 page catalogue, written in both Chinese and English, will reflect the active spirit of the exhibition, featuring Jérôme Sans in dialogue with Guy and Myrian Ullens, essays from curators Kate Fowle and Guo Xiaoyan about the exhibition, a letter from Fei Dawei on the story of the Ullens Foundation and its relationship with artists, as well as quotes and presentations from the artists themselves.

Works in the exhibition

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Cao Fei

RMB City

2008
Second Life Project

Cai Guoqiang

Sundial No.1

1995

Chen Zhen

Perseverance of Regeneration

1999

Fang Lijun

1996-10

1996

Gu Wenda

United Nations: Silk Road

2000

Gu Dexin

Terracotta Statues Series A01-A64(64 pieces)

2003-2004

Hong Hao

Mr. Hong Please Come In (Self Portrait)

1998

Kan Xuan

Kan Xuan! Ai!

1999

Huang Yongping

Buddha’s Hands(two pieces)

2006

Sui Jianguo

Made in China(three pieces)

1999

Liu Xiaodong

Portrait of Myriam and Guy Ullens

2005

Wang Jianwei

Symptom

2006

Wang Du

Space-Time Tunnel

2004

Yan Pei-Ming

Portrait de Guy et Myriam Ullens

2008

Wang Luyan

W Bike

1992

Wang Guangyi

“Great Criticism” Series: Beuys

2002

Wu Shanzhuan

Today No Water(six pieces)

2000

Yan Lei

“Catalogue Covers” series

2002

Yue Minjun

Happiness

1993

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Installation Views

Installation Views

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