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Studio Visit Caochangdi and Songzhuang
10 Years ago, thanks to the China Culture Center in Beijing, I had the opportunity to join a series of visits to artist studios in Caochangdi and Songzhuang. The artwork and spaces pictured here include those of photographer Wang Qingsong, painters Huang Yin and Huo Qing, and sculptor Wang Yiqiong, who demonstrated his technique of exhaling his own cigarette smoke to create brown stains on white surfaces. These artist colonies emerged in the 1990s on farming land, away from the city center, and offered a supportive community and space for artistics freedom. While the 798 District has become more commercialized […]
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Caochangdi and 798
On recent trip to China, I visited two of Beijing’s arts districts. A good map and a working knowledge of Mandarin go a long ways in navigating these reclaimed industrial zones. I had neither. I showed the taxi driver a piece of paper with the words “798 arts district” written out in Chinese. After making our way out of the center and onto the airport road, he stopped next to a pedestrian bridge and motioned for me to get out of the car. All I saw was an enormous electronics store, but around back was the start of the arts […]
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