Yanran Chen Set to Launch First Solo Exhibition In China At ART FOCUS Beijing

Yanran Chen, a Chinese multidisciplinary artist also known as Chloe Chen, will launch her first large-scale solo exhibition in China at the new ART FOCUS space in Beijing's 798 Art District. The exhibition, titled "Neon Dreamland," runs from 23 May to 6 July 2025 and is curated by actor and "Art Knock" founder Yuan Hong. The show is divided into two thematic zones: one featuring her personal paintings and sculptures, including works like "The Mechanical Lifeform" and "Dinner," and another presenting a collaborative series with anime label WaarWorld inspired by Liu Cixin's novel "The Supernova Era." The exhibition coincides with the launch of ART FOCUS, an immersive art space focused on digital integration and cross-genre collaboration, and is part of the broader Beijing Art Season.

Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art repatriates ancient silk manuscript to China

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art (NMAA) in Washington, DC, has repatriated fragments of the ancient Zidanku Silk Manuscripts to China. The artifacts, dating from the fourth to third century BCE, were looted from a tomb near Changsha, Hunan Province, and smuggled into the US in 1946. The NMAA deaccessioned Volumes II and III of the manuscripts, which were given to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery by an anonymous donor in 1992. The transfer was formalized in a ceremony at the Chinese embassy following an agreement signed earlier this month, with the fragments handed over to the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) of China.

Maison Margiela Opens "Tabi: Collectors Exhibition" in Chengdu, China

Maison Margiela has launched the “Tabi: Collectors Exhibition” at The Third Avenue Art Museum in Chengdu, China, running from April 9 to April 13, 2026. This immersive showcase features the personal archives of nine global collectors, including artist Theaster Gates and musician Zion.T, alongside a curated selection of the house’s own historical footwear dating back to 1989. The event is a key component of the brand's "MaisonMargiela/folders" initiative, which includes a series of regional activations across China and a digital open-source archive.

Artist shows agriculture droning forward

Chinese artist Cao Fei is set to debut her latest multimedia project, "Dash" (known as "Super Farms" in China), at the Fondazione Prada in Milan on April 9. The exhibition is the result of three years of field research across China and Southeast Asia, where Cao documented the rise of smart farming and the integration of AI, drones, and autonomous vehicles into traditional agricultural landscapes. Her work captures a unique cultural synthesis where modern technology is sometimes integrated into ancient rituals, such as the worship of drones as deities.

Akram Khan Dance Company, Barrowland Ballet & other art shows to look out for

The Singaporean art gallery Utterly Art is making a return through a collaboration with the Visual Arts Centre (VAC) at its former Chinatown location. Rebranded as VAC Art Gallery And Studio, the space has been revamped by VAC director Iola Liu to serve as both a retail gallery and an art studio. The inaugural group exhibition, titled "Welcome Home!", features works by 20 local and Southeast Asian artists across various media, including street art, pop art, and traditional still life.

Animation Producer & Advocate Marge Dean Discusses Her New Art Exhibition Illuminating the Value of Domestic Labor

Marge Dean, an Emmy-winning animation producer and head of Skybound Entertainment, opens a new conceptual art exhibition titled "The Sweepers" at Automata gallery in Los Angeles' Chinatown on November 7. The show imagines a world where housework is valued as highly as fine art, presenting the fictional "Floor Field Cleaning" art movement (1940-1975) through portraits, floor samples, biographies, and an animated interview with a housewife named Laurie Poons. Dean, who is also founder of Women in Animation, created the work during the COVID lockdown, using rotoscoping and Photoshop to explore the intersection of domestic labor and artistic value.

Here's where to see the best art in Singapore this week (Oct 3)

This article from The Straits Times, dated October 3, highlights a series of cultural events in Singapore during the first week of October. It details a literary conference hosted by Nanyang Technological University's English department from October 3 to 5, featuring public talks by notable writers including Singaporean author Amanda Lee Koe, Malaysian novelist Tan Twan Eng, graphic novelist Sonny Liew, and American poet Alice Lyons. The article also covers a new dining theatre experience called 'Rasa' at Dempsey, which combines 12th-century Sanskrit poetry, bharatanatyam dance, live Carnatic music, and a curated vegetarian menu. Additionally, it announces an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, organized by Lianhe Zaobao and Qiu Zhai Art Studio, celebrating the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and China, featuring 368 works by Singaporean and Chinese artists.

‘Sean Scully: Sublime and Sunyata’ at Art Museum of Sichuan Conservatory of Music, Sichuan, China

The Art Museum of Sichuan Conservatory of Music in Sichuan, China, presents 'Sean Scully: Sublime and Sunyata' from 12 June to 12 October 2025. Curated by Dr. Jiang Jun, the exhibition features 40 works including large-format paintings, sculptures, and photographs, exploring the convergence of the Western concept of the Sublime and the Eastern notion of Śūnyatā (emptiness).

Potatoes Grow on Trees: Hu Yinping Replants Meaning in Making

Beijing-based artist Hu Yinping is presenting three major works in Hong Kong this March, including the installation 'Potatoes Grow on Trees' in the Encounters sector of Art Basel Hong Kong. The works stem from her long-running project 'Hu Xiaofang,' a semi-fictional company that employs women in rural China to create crocheted artworks, redistributing income and visibility to this often-overlooked demographic.

Enzo fair is fun and fee-free

The inaugural Enzo art fair has launched in Echo Park, Los Angeles, featuring nine galleries primarily from New York’s Chinatown and Lower East Side. Founded by collector R Parmar at Alabaster Projects, the fair operates on a unique fee-free model for exhibitors and visitors alike, removing the traditional financial barriers of booth fees and wall build-outs. The opening saw a vibrant atmosphere with works ranging from Peggy Chiang’s suspended sculptures to Radek Szlaga’s textile installations.

What Portland’s First New York Art Gallery Means for the City

Portland art gallery ILY2 (“I Love You Too”) has opened a permanent outpost in New York City, marking the first time a Portland gallery has established a permanent space in the city. The new gallery, located between Chinatown and Tribeca, inaugurated its space with the second installment of the group show SOFT PINK HARD LINE, which originally started at ILY2’s Portland gallery in the Pearl District. The expansion was conceived by philanthropist Allie Furlotti, who founded ILY2 during the pandemic as a series of pop-up residencies to support local artists.

Italy's Soft Power in China Thanks to Two Major Exhibitions on Pompeii and Palladio

Il soft power dell’Italia in Cina grazie a due grandi mostre su Pompei e Palladio

The National Museum of China in Beijing is currently hosting two major exhibitions celebrating Italian cultural heritage: "Pompeii: An Eternal Discovery" and "Geometry, Harmony and Life: The Architecture of Andrea Palladio from Antiquity to Classicism." These exhibitions, marking the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and China, were inaugurated by Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli. The Pompeii showcase traces 250 years of archaeological history using artifacts and multimedia, while the Palladio exhibition explores the Renaissance master’s influence on Western architecture and creates a cross-cultural dialogue with traditional Chinese building techniques.

Ella Maillart, intrepid photographer of the 1930s, highlighted in an exhibition in Lausanne

Ella Maillart, photographe baroudeuse des années 30 mise en lumière dans une exposition à Lausanne

Ella Maillart, a Swiss photographer and adventurer from the 1930s, is the subject of a new exhibition in Lausanne. Born in Geneva in 1903, Maillart was an Olympic sailor and champion skier before turning to travel and photography. She journeyed across the Soviet Union, Central Asia, and China, often by train, ski, or camel, documenting remote cultures and political landscapes. Her travels included a 6,000-kilometer trek from Beijing to Kashmir with British writer Peter Fleming, and a road trip from Geneva to Kabul with friend Annemarie Schwarzenbach. The exhibition highlights her photographs and writings, which blend geographical exploration, political chronicle, and personal meditation.

New Currents: Liu Shuai

Liu Shuai, a multimedia artist from Shandong province, China, presented an interactive installation titled "The Kiss" (2025) at VILLA tbh in Shanghai during the 15th Shanghai Biennale (2025–26). The work, co-created with carpenter bees, features bamboo stalks punctured by the insects and transformed into hanging instruments. It was part of the biennale's "City Projects" and housed in Liu's temporary studio within the Shanghai Botanical Garden, offering a poetic exploration of interspecies collaboration.

Compressed Histories: Irfan Hendrian’s “CLOSED” at ara contemporary

Indonesian artist Irfan Hendrian presented his solo exhibition "CLOSED" at ara contemporary in Jakarta. The show featured new works from his Chinatown Window Sample series, which use layered paper sculptures to replicate the ornate metal trellises found on Tionghoa (Chinese Indonesian) shophouse windows, alongside interactive installations like Paranoia Holder that invited visitors to deboss their keys.

Survey finds town rejects Earth Goddess sculpture

A survey conducted by the St Austell Town Team found that approximately 90% of nearly 500 respondents want the controversial 38-foot-tall ceramic sculpture 'Earth Goddess' removed from the town center of St Austell, Cornwall. Installed in June 2022 as part of a regeneration project celebrating the area's China clay heritage, the £80,000 artwork by Sandy Brown has divided opinion, with local business owner and Town Team chair Jake Richards reporting frequent complaints from customers. Suggested relocation sites include the Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan, though the artist argues moving the piece is impractical and costly.

US-based dissident artist put on trial in China over satirical Mao sculptures, says rights group

Chinese dissident artist Gao Zhen, based in the US, has been tried in a closed-door court in China on charges of "defaming national heroes and martyrs" related to his satirical sculptures of former leader Mao Zedong. The one-day trial concluded without a verdict, and the artist faces up to three years in prison. His wife and young son, both US citizens, are under exit bans and unable to leave China.

Ole Scheeren’s Róng Museum: From Tech‑City to Cultural Capital

German architect Ole Scheeren is designing the Róng Museum of Art, a beehive-like cultural complex set to open in 2027 in Shenzhen's Houhai Hybrid Campus. The museum represents his latest major architectural project in China, following his iconic work on Beijing's CCTV headquarters and other landmark structures across Asia.

Shaohua Nong | Shaohua Nong Animal Original Oil On Canvas "Twain II… (2015) | For Sale

Chinese artist Shaohua Nong (b. 1960, Linfen, Shanxi) is offering an original oil on canvas titled "Twain II" (2015) for sale at US$1,300 through the gallery Sojourner in New York. The 25 × 37 inch painting is hand-signed, includes a certificate of authenticity, and is listed on Artsy with a money-back and authenticity guarantee. Nong, a member of the Shanxi Branch of Chinese Artists Association, has exhibited widely in China and internationally, including at Hong Kong ART CENTRAL Art Fair, Shangshang Art Museum in Beijing, and the Nanjing International Art Exhibition.

Art Exhibition: A Celebration of Inspirational Artist Professor

Ligel Lambert, an interdisciplinary artist and doctoral candidate at Columbia University's Teachers College, will present a solo exhibition of 16 large portrait paintings as part of his Ed.D. dissertation. The show runs from October 27 to November 20, 2025, at the Macy Art Gallery, with an opening reception on October 30. Lambert, a former U.S. Marine and adjunct professor at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design and Hunter College, draws on his experiences living in Haiti, Japan, South Korea, China, and the U.S.

Dodgers-themed art exhibit titled DOUBLEPLAY opens at Eastern Projects Gallery in Chinatown

A new art exhibit titled DOUBLEPLAY has opened at Eastern Projects Gallery in Los Angeles' Chinatown, featuring Dodgers-themed works by artists Billy Kheel and Pat Riot. The show includes Riot's bubble-gum portraits and Kheel's hand-sewn felt tapestries, celebrating Dodgers culture and sports history. The exhibition runs through November 22, 2025, timed to coincide with the World Series.

33 artists showcase art from the heart

The 5th Inspired Fine Art Exhibition, themed “Kita 2.0”, is being held from September 5-21 at Capital Fine Art Gallery in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. Curated by Inspired Fine Art Studio and Capital Fine Art Gallery, the show features 140 works by 33 artists from Malaysia, South Africa, China, and Hong Kong, including watercolour, oil, acrylic, sculpture, and mixed media pieces. Most works are for sale, and weekend art workshops for adults and children are scheduled for September 13-14 and 20-21. The exhibition will be officially launched on September 12 by Zulkifli Hashim, director-general of Malaysia's National Unity and Integration Department.

BRITA 131 Art Space / Jiangjie Office

BRITA 131 Art Space, a new non-profit art organization designed by Jiangjie Office, has opened in the BAC art community in Hangzhou, China. Initiated by founder Xiao Jun, the 2,000-square-meter space integrates local artists' works into daily life and serves as both an exhibition venue and a communication platform. The project was completed in 2025 and features photography by Wen Studio.

Culture meets commerce as new art gallery opens in Ferndale

Sophia Grace Gallery, a new art space founded by curator and artist Sophia Kidd, held its soft opening on May 17 in Ferndale. Artist He Gong attended and spoke with visitors at the event, which marks the realization of Kidd's decades-long dream to open a gallery bridging her experiences in China and her base in Bellingham.

New York art museum showcases Raphael's rare prints

The Murray Hill Art Museum in New York has opened an exhibition featuring 100 rare prints of works by Italian Renaissance master Raphael. The show includes engravings and lithographs from the museum's own collection as well as loans from private collectors across the United States, and was attended by local artists and collectors at its opening ceremony on April 25, 2026.

China Orders Nationwide Museum Audit After Missing Masterpieces Scandal

China's National Cultural Heritage Administration has mandated a comprehensive, item-by-item inventory of all state-run museum collections following a major scandal at the Nanjing Museum. The audit aims to verify that objects listed in official records physically exist in storage, a direct response to the discovery that donated national treasures, including a valuable Ming dynasty painting, were improperly transferred or sold into the private market over decades.

terracotta warriors china damage tourist mausoleum qin shi huang 1234744034

A 30-year-old Chinese tourist damaged two ancient terracotta warriors at the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang in Xi’an, China, on Friday. According to local officials, the man climbed over guardrails and a protective net, jumped more than 15 feet into Pit No. 3, and pushed and pulled the clay figures, causing varying degrees of damage before being restrained by security. Authorities suspect the man suffers from mental illness, and the case remains under investigation. The site reopened the following day.

us art schools international students 1234743928

The Trump administration threatened to block Harvard University from enrolling international students and revoked its SEVIS certification, a move frozen within 24 hours by a judge. The administration also announced plans to aggressively revoke visas of Chinese students, raising concerns for US art schools, which are heavily dependent on international enrollees—many with higher percentages of international students than Harvard, such as the School of Visual Arts (50%), Parsons School of Design (35%), and CalArts (30%).

The Art Market’s Uneven Recovery, Explained

Global auction sales saw a 13 percent increase in 2025, signaling the first market recovery in several years. However, this growth was largely concentrated in New York through the sale of high-value masterpieces, while other regions like China continued to experience a decline in activity.

The Rise of Tech-Funded Art Spaces in China

Tech giants JD.com and Tencent are launching new museums in Shenzhen, appointing prominent art figures Robin Peckham and Pi Li to lead them. This move is part of a broader initiative to transform the city, a major tech hub, into a significant player in the global art scene.