Art Is Still Here: A Hypothetical Show for a Closed Museum

Here at M WOODS we recognize that the current health emergency in China has affected our communities and has forced many of our museums, institutions and galleries to close, leaving a space in which the arts can comment and reflect.

As a public museum, we ask how we then experience art during times of institutional closure: what are the forms that art and art museums must take when galleries become inaccessible to the public?

In light of this, M WOODS will present ‘Art Is Still Here: A Hypothetical Show for a Closed Museum’, an online exhibition of moments and happenings – contributions of artworks, videos, photographs, words, poems, instructions and thoughts – by artists and thinkers around the theme of ecology, nature, extinction, isolation and kinship, curated by our Artistic Director and Chief Curator Victor Wang.

Conceived as a long-term visual project that will virtually occupy both M WOODS museum locations (798 and Hutong), this experimental exhibition will unfold over a period of several weeks: different galleries of the museum will be open virtually, with accompanying artworks presented online through the museum’s online platforms – Weibo, WeChat, Instagram and Facebook – throughout the duration of the show.

In the context of Mainland China, social media has now become a very powerful tool in sharing information and connecting communities both locally and internationally during the quarantine period. With no end date set for this project, the timeframe is contingent on the opening of our museums and public institutions, and therefore artists will continuously be invited to participate.

Through this activity we hope to continue our mission of working with artists to provide art for the public, making it accessible at all times and in all circumstances.

[Opening February 13 – Continuous ]

With Contributions By:

aaajiao

Allora and Calzadilla

Annika Eriksson

Babi Badalov

Basim Magdy

Cerith Wyn Evans

Cheng Ran

Chulayarnnon Siriphol

Colectivo Los Ingrávidos

Daniel Steegmann Mangrané

Éléonore Saintagnan & Grégoire Motte

Fan Xi

Fang Di

Haroon Mirza

Hu Xiaoyuan

Huang Rui

Jonathas de Andrade

Katja Novitskova

Lawrence Abu Hamdan

Lawrence Lek

Li Binyuan

Lin Tianmiao

Li Tingwei

Liu Shiyuan

Lu Pingyuan

Lu Yang

Miao Ying

Michael Najjar

Nabuqi

Oscar Murillo

Patty Chang

Raqs Media Collective

Reynier Leyva Novo

Richard Tuttle

Robert Zhao Renhui

Solange Pessoa

Stephanie Comilang

Sun Xun

Tania Bruguera