Out past the fifth ring road in the northeastern outskirts of Beijing, the scenery gradually fades into the countryside. This also makes the high-end Red Brick Museum stand out all the more: the rather (post-)modern looks of a museum made sheerly from red bricks and a garden made up only of slate-gray bricks summon up almost a surreal dream—but real it is! This distinctive project, designed by Dong Yugan, an architect from Beijing University, thoroughly pushed the potentials of brickwork to the limit, while its many modern landscape design elements makes the site not only a large-scale private museum but also a luxury Chinese-inspired garden, along with a cafe and restaurant. The owner? Professional artist turned real estate mogul, Yan Shijie.
The exhibition “Tales from the Taiping Era” officially opened the Red Brick Museum, though the museum has unofficially been open since the end of 2012. Although it includes a Chen Chieh-jen installation, a theater-installation by the architect Chang Yo He, videos by Yang Fudong, an installation piece by Wang Jianwei, among others, in terms of scale and proportion, Qiu Zhijie’s “Qiu’s Notes on ‘Colorful Lanterns at Shangyuan Festival’” took center stage. Its traditional Chinese objects, having undergone distortions, displacements and defamiliarization, truly capture viewers’ attention. Indeed, the entire theme of the exhibition—Tales of the Taiping, a Song-dynasty unofficial history replete with outlandish anecdotes—appear especially well-matched with Qiu Zhijie’s ideas in recent years.
Time will tell if the Red Brick Museum will keep up a high level of exhibitions in the longer run; certainly, the beautifully designed garden alone will prove to be a major draw.
黄永砯，《三摞，一堆，一摊》，牛奶，纸盒，灰，尺寸可变，2014
Huang Yong Ping, “Three Stacks, One Heap, One Pile”, milk, cartons, ashes, dimensions variable, 2014
邱志杰，《邱注上元灯彩图》，综合媒体装置，尺寸可变，2010-至今.
Qiu Zhijie, “Qiu’s Notes on ‘Colorful Lanterns at Shangyuan Festival’”, mixed-media installation, dimensions variable, 2010–present.
邱志杰，《邱注上元灯彩图》，综合媒体装置，尺寸可变，2010-至今.
Qiu Zhijie, “Qiu’s Notes on ‘Colorful Lanterns at Shangyuan Festival’”, mixed-media installation, dimensions variable, 2010–present.
Wu Shanzhuan & Inga Svala Thórsdóttir, “Throwing a Flame from a Perspective into a Projection”, acrylic on canvas, 140 x 200 cm x 24 pics, 2013–2014
吴山专与英格•斯瓦拉•拖斯朵蒂尔，《从透视抛出一枚进入投射的火焰》，布面丙烯，140 x 200 cm x 24件，2013－2014
Guo Xi, “The Last Tale: God and Net Friends”, dimensions variable, 2014
郭熙，《最后的故事：上帝与网友》，尺寸可变，2014
新闻发布会，左起：建筑师张永和、红砖美术馆馆长闫士杰、“太平广记”策展人高士明、策展人郭晓彦
Press conference (from left): the architect Chang Yong Ho, the director of the Red Brick Museum Yan Shijie, the curator of “Tales of the Taiping Era” Gao Shiming, the curator Guo Xiaoyan
红砖美术馆外景
External shots of the Red Brick Museum
红砖美术馆外景
External shots of the Red Brick Museum
红砖美术馆外景
External shots of the Red Brick Museum
红砖美术馆外景
External shots of the Red Brick Museum
红砖美术馆外景
External shots of the Red Brick Museum
