Stacey Duff is Saatchi Online magazine's China correspondent and Time Out Beijing's art editor.
BEIJING & CHINA
The year started off with a low when local artist Huang Rui clashed in January with local property owner in Beijing's Dashanzi Art District. His eviction caused unrest among many gallerists in the district and cast doubt on the future of the city's largest arts festival.
On January 20, the Chinese art world was saddened by the loss of Art Basel Asia Advisor, Jonathan Napack. Napack's death, at 39 in Hong Kong, ended the career of one of Chinese contemporary art's most critical and vibrant voices.
Artists from the United States made their presence felt in Beijing. In February, 'New York, Interrupted' -- looking at art in New York five years after 9/11 -- runs at PKM Gallery. In March, 'Art in America: 300 Years of Innovation' opens in Beijing to an enthusiastic reception at The National Art Museum of China, courtesy of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the Terra Foundation for American Art.
In April, Chinese artists get a boost abroad with a showing at the Tate Liverpool in 'The Real Thing: Contemporary Art from China'. Back in Beijing, 'Aftershock'" Contemporary British Art 1990-2006' runs at the Capital Museum.
In May, 'Tibetan Contemporary' opens at Red Gate in Dashanzi. Also in Dashanzi, Japanese art group Mono-Ha exhibit at Beijing-Tokyo Art Projects. Filipino artist Leslie de Chavez exhibits at Arario Beijing and Cameroonian artist Pascale Marthine Tayou exhibits at Galleria Continua. Pauline Yao curates 'Forged Realities', a Sino-International show at Universal Studios-Beijing. Notable solo shows from Chinese artists include Song Dong at Beijing Commune, Jia Aili at Platform China, Chi Peng at White Space and Liu Wei at Universal Studios-Beijing. Saatchi Online officially launches in Mandarin on May 21 in Beijing's Dashanzi Art District. By the end of the year, 10,000 art students in China are registered on the site.
In June, New York-based artist Hugo Tillman presents 'Film Stills of the Mind'. The solo photography show features photos of 80 Chinese contemporary artists. Three Shadows Photography Centre opens in Caochangdi. The Borderline Moving Images festival, focusing on video, opens at venues around the city.
Several Chinese artists have strong solo shows in July, including Chen Bo at China Blue, Zhang O at Pekin Fine Arts, Wang Luyan at Arario Beijing and Liu Ding at Universal Studios-Beijing. 'From Titian to Goya: Masterpieces from the Prado' runs at the National Art Museum of China.
In August, Bombay-based artist Jitish Kallat exhibits at Arario Beijing. Important shows from Chinese artists include Qiu Zhijie at New Long March Space and Xu Ruotao at Platform China. Nine curators and 150 artists from around the globe exhibit at the Shangdu Soho Shopping Mall.
In September, the Dashanzi International Art Festival runs in every art district in the city. Led by Berenice Angremy, the festival is renamed the Dangdai International Art Festival. September also sees two art fairs in China: SH Contemporary in Shanghai and Art Beijing. 30 Japanese artists exhibit in the Dashanzi Art District in 'Beautiful New World.'
October sees important solo shows around Beijing. Anish Kapoor at Galleria Continua, Julian Rosenfeldt at Platform China and Xue Song at Chen Linghui, Zhong Biao at Xin Dongcheng, Qiu Anxiong at Universal Studios, Yue Minjun at Beijing Commune, Zhou Yunxia at China Art Archives and Warehouse and Chen Shaomin at three separate venues around the city. 50 Chinese artists exhibit under curator Huang Du at the Today Art Museum. The late Nam June Paik gets a substantial retrospective at Do Art (Hyuandai Gallery-Seoul) in Caochangdi Village.
In November , the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art opens in Beijing's Dashanzi Art District with '1985 New Wave: The Birth of Chinese Contemporary Art'. The event, lead by curator Fei Dawei, examines China's first generation of contemporary artists. UCCA is the first private, non-profit art institution in China. Faurschou Gallery inaugurates in Dashanzi with 'Robert Rauschenberg: Three Decades'. The inaugural Asian Contemporary Arts Fair opens at New York's Pier 92.
December sees the publication of 'Airplanes and Parachutes: A Jonathan Napack Anthology'. Edited by Philip Tinari, the book launches on December 6 at Art Basel Miami Beach, nearly one year after Napack's untimely death in Hong Kong in early 2007.
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