LAB 47 is art laboratory of research and experimentation.
It is a place or a scene of expression for Chinese and foreign artists in Beijing.
The creation of LAB 47 has come out from a collaboration and an intellectual exchanges between Aurélie Martinaud and Geng Han: first, the purpose was to create a new artistic place in Beijing, not only to show art but also to propose a place of art reflexion and new discovering : new artists, new research in contemporary art thinking (aesthetic, historicity, poetic); of course there are some open places given to the unknown thinking that is just waiting for someone to discover it.
LAB 47 is in the heart of the Hutong, between Dongsi and Gulou districts. It is surrounded by some little stores, restaurants, a primary school, and also a lot of Beijing’s traditional habitations. It is in the town centre, so then in the life centre. The popular neighbourhood all around there has a rich history and a rich population. So, LAB 47 is in total immersion in life, in Beijing’s quotidian life; then it is also an opportunity for the local population to discover and to become familiar with contemporary art; a new dialogue between the curators, the artists and the neighbours will emerge. The concept of social mixed, that is beloved by the policies of urbanisation in European town centres, will find its signification. In that way, we wish that this place could contribute to write a new page of this area’s history, where the cultural melting-pot/pick and mix culture, will improve its value and richness.
It is with this vision in mind that LAB 47 will open its doors and to be a new place of meeting for the public with a place, a neighbourhood, people (come from art circle or simply come from the streets around there), in order to pursue the dialogue between the cultures.
