After one and a half hours subway ride, we arrived at the Red Brick Art Museum, a newly built contemporary museum showcasing exhibitions of Chinese and world art, which was founded by Chinese art collectors Yan Shijie and Cao Mei four years ago.
Covering a total area of 20,000 square meters on the outskirts of Beijing, the Red Brick Art Museum is a folk-based, non-profit institution focusing on the collection, research and exhibition of contemporary art.
As we walk through the arch, we found ourselves standing at the entrance of a red brick world. The grey and red tones implemented in the entrance soften the transition between the outside and inside. It guides us through the building into the main hall which features a sunken circle with “The Loss Compass” hanging above.
The unspeakable openness of things (2018) was created only for the Red Brick by Icelandic visual artist Olafur Eliassion, who is now presenting his first solo exhibition here. His extensive exhibit comprises of an array of large-scale immersive installations, sculptures and works on paper, and encompasses the Red Brick’s eight exhibition halls and its garden.
Moving through the galleries, we were immersed in a discrete space of all kinds of natural phenomenon, such as water, light, shadow and movement: the erratic rhythm of the Water Pendulum (2010), the patterned shadows of Map for Unthought Thoughts (2014), and the Rainbow Assembly (2016), features light which is refracted through a circular curtain of mist to reveal the visible spectrum.
The archive exhibition “Olafur Eliasson: Research and Publications” is presented alongside “The Unspeakable Openness of Things”. On the second floor of the gallery, we saw related monographs, manuscripts, timelines, and photo galleries of Olafur Eliasson, all devoted to help interpret the artist’s works and the ideas behind them.
Why Red Brick Art Museum?
The Red Brick Art Museum is a folk-based, non-profit art museum mainly focused on the collection, research and exhibition of contemporary world and Chinese art. Through a series of orderly and high-quality exhibitions along with collections, research, education, publications and public activities, the museum offers a feasible reference for the operation and development mode of private museums for Chinese Contemporary Art.
What worth mentioning is that French President Emmanuel Macron visited the Museum earlier this year and had high praises for it. Serving as a sole sponsor for the “Sino-French Cultural Spring” activity, the Red Brick Art Museum has made a great contribution to deepen the friendship between the two countries.
Besides Olafur Eliasson’s works, the Red Brick also presents a wide variety of artworks from other renowned artists including Christain Lemmerz, Michael Kvium and Tony Oursler.
It’s more than a museum
Using red bricks as the basic architectural element, each brick of the museum seems to tell its own story. In addition, as part of the art museum visiting experience and the extension of the building structure, the landscape courtyard which was designed and built in a specific way, deriving from the Chinese Garden scenic conception, is also a highlight feature within the Red Brick.
Lying just behind the main building of the museum, a garden area featuring some cafes and restaurants is there for visitors to take a short break. Guests who have bought tickets to enter the museum can also take a garden tour to immerse themselves there as well as take some photos.
After strolling around for about 2 hours, don’t forget to buy some souvenirs in the gift shop before you go.
Travel Information
Opening hours
From Tuesday to Sunday: 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
(Except Chinese National Holidays)
Ticket prices
Workdays Admission Fees
Regular Tickets: 120 RMB per person
Discount Tickets: 90 RMB per person (students, disabled and seniors over 65 with valid ID)
Free Admission: Children under 1.2m (should be accompanied by at least one ticketed adult)
Holidays Admission Fees
Regular Tickets: 160 RMB per person
Discount Tickets: 120 RMB per person (students, disabled and seniors over 65 with valid ID)
Free Admission: Children under 1.2m (should be accompanied by at least one ticketed adult)
Tips
Scan the QR code to get an audio guide to the art exhibition in every display halls
Transportation
Take subway line 15 to the Maquanying Station, choose exit B, and then take a 20-minute walk to the entrance of the museum.
