In the artistic hinterland of Cuigezhuang Township, Chaoyang District, Beijing, stands a contemporary art museum with red bricks as its skeleton and art as its soul——Red Brick Art Museum Beijing. It is not a traditional art gallery, but a “three-dimensional work of art” that perfectly integrates architectural aesthetics, contemporary art and Eastern connotation. It is also a core check-in spot for foreign travelers to understand Chinese contemporary art and feel the collision of Chinese and Western cultures. Different from the imperial grandeur of the Forbidden City and the avant-garde publicity of 798 Art Zone, Red Brick Art Museum hides an understated artistic power with its low-key and retro red brick texture and scattered spatial design. It has both the nostalgic texture of the industrial era and the winding artistic conception of Eastern gardens, allowing every foreign traveler to immersive experience the symbiotic beauty of art and life in the flow of light and shadow.
The birth of Red Brick Art Museum itself is an exploration and innovation of art. The venue was initiated and constructed by Mr. Yan Shijie, a collector and entrepreneur, and his wife Ms. Cao Mei in 2007. They invited Dong Yugan, a famous architect and professor of Peking University, to be the designer. With an investment of nearly 400 million yuan and 8 years of elaborate polishing, it officially opened on May 23, 2014. Covering an area of about 22 mu and a construction area of 9,720 square meters, the venue includes 9 professional exhibition spaces, 2 public leisure spaces, 1 art derivative space, and is also equipped with a multi-function hall, children’s activity room, artist residency studio and other facilities, fully meeting the multiple needs of exhibitions, creation, communication and rest. It has become a contemporary art museum embracing nature and combining professionalism and experience. Since its opening, Red Brick Art Museum has always adhered to the purpose of “promoting the development of contemporary art and facilitating Sino-foreign art exchanges”, holding numerous exhibitions with both academic and ornamental value, attracting the attention of artists and art lovers around the world, and also becoming a must-visit place for foreign travelers to explore the artistic charm of Beijing.
For foreign travelers, the core attraction of Red Brick Art Museum lies first in its unique architectural aesthetics. Taking red bricks as the basic architectural element, the venue constructs a highly recognizable architectural language. The rough texture of red bricks forms a sharp contrast with the delicate architectural lines, which is retro but not dull, simple but not monotonous. The designer skillfully integrated the “tortuous and winding” of Eastern gardens with the “geometric aesthetics” of Western architecture. Instead of a regular symmetrical layout, there are scattered steps, transparent corridors, high vaults and hidden courtyards. Every step forward can encounter different light and shadow and spatial scenes. When the sun shines, the red bricks are covered with a warm halo. The light and shadow outline flowing lines on the ground and walls through glass windows and hollowed-out walls, as if time is flowing slowly on the building; when visiting on a rainy day, the red bricks after rain become more bright, water drops drip along the brick seams, contrasting with green plants and corridors, adding a sense of quiet poetry.
Every design in the venue hides ingenuity, which is both architecture and art installation. The red brick archway at the entrance is simple and grand, with mottled walls, which has a retro filter and is the preferred place for foreign travelers to take photos; the winding corridor connects various exhibition spaces, and small art works are occasionally embedded in the walls, making the walking process also a mini art tour; the open-air platform on the roof has a broad view, where you can overlook the entire red brick building complex of the venue. The distant green plants and the nearby red bricks set off each other, and you can take photos with both artistic sense and atmosphere at will. It is worth mentioning that the lighting design of the venue is very ingenious. The designer uses the changes of natural light to make the art museum present different beauty at different times. The soft light in the morning, the sufficient light in the afternoon and the warm yellow afterglow in the evening all add a different vitality to the art works, allowing foreign travelers to feel the perfect symbiosis of architecture and art in the change of light and shadow.
As an important display platform for contemporary art, Red Brick Art Museum has always maintained a leading position in the industry in terms of exhibition standards. It holds various academic exhibitions, famous artists’ exhibitions, international exchange exhibitions and thematic special exhibitions all year round, which is the best window for foreign travelers to understand the development context of Chinese contemporary art. Different from the classical realistic style of China Oil Painting Institute, the exhibitions of Red Brick Art Museum are more contemporary, experimental and diverse, covering painting, sculpture, installation art, video art, performance art and other forms. There are not only excellent works by Chinese local artists, but also classic creations by internationally renowned artists, allowing Chinese and foreign art to collide and integrate here.
Exhibitions are mainly divided into permanent exhibitions and temporary exhibitions. Permanent exhibitions focus on classic works of contemporary art, showing the key course of the development of Chinese contemporary art from germination to development. Among them, there are many high-quality works by well-known artists such as Zhou Chunya and Zeng Fanzhi. Through the stories and expressions behind the works, foreign travelers can understand the thinking and expression of Chinese contemporary artists on society, life and culture. Temporary exhibitions closely follow the international art trend, regularly inviting well-known artists at home and abroad to participate. The themes cover environmental protection, humanity, science and technology, multicultural integration and other fields. There are both avant-garde experimental works and warm and healing daily creations. Each exhibition can bring a new artistic experience. In addition, the art museum also holds artist sharing sessions, art workshops, video screenings and other activities from time to time. Foreign travelers can communicate with artists up close, deeply understand the inspiration and process of art creation, and immersive experience the charm of contemporary art.
When visiting the exhibition, foreign travelers need to pay attention to some detailed rules: photography is allowed in most exhibitions in the venue, but flash, tripods and selfie sticks are prohibited to avoid damage to the works. At the same time, do not touch the exhibits and respect the artists’ copyright and work protection needs; please keep quiet when visiting, avoid loud noise and chasing, and jointly maintain a good artistic atmosphere; some temporary exhibitions may charge tickets, and the specific ticket price and exhibition information can be inquired on the official website or consulted with the staff on site in advance.
In addition to appreciating the architecture and exhibitions, the supporting facilities of Red Brick Art Museum are also very complete, making the visit of foreign travelers more comfortable and rich. There is a very artistic café in the venue, located in the depths of the courtyard. The decoration style is highly consistent with the overall style of the art museum, with red brick walls, wooden tables and chairs, and green plants, simple and warm. The café provides coffee, tea, desserts and other drinks and food, with fresh ingredients and delicate taste. There are also special drinks named after art works or artists, which are both beautiful and delicious. When you are tired from walking, sit by the window of the café, look at the red bricks and light and shadow in the courtyard, taste a cup of coffee, and flip through an art album. It can not only relieve fatigue, but also immersive experience the perfect integration of art and life.
There is also an art and cultural and creative store in the venue, selling various art derivatives, including exhibition albums, art postcards, cultural and creative ornaments, canvas bags, bookmarks, etc. The design is simple and stylish, combining artistry and practicality. Most of them integrate red brick architectural elements or exhibition work elements, which is an excellent choice for foreign travelers to buy souvenirs and take away art memories. In addition, the cultural and creative store also sells various art books, covering contemporary art, architectural design, Eastern aesthetics and other fields. Foreign travelers can further understand the charm of Chinese contemporary art and Eastern culture through books.
For foreign travelers, it is very convenient to go to Red Brick Art Museum. The venue is located in Cuigezhuang Township, Chaoyang District, with a well-developed transportation network around it, and it can be directly reached by public transport or self-driving. Foreign travelers can take Metro Line 15 to “Maquanying Station”, get off at Exit B, and walk about 15 minutes to reach it; they can also take bus lines such as No. 944, No. 851, No. 988 to “Hegelao Village Station”, and walk for a while to arrive. For travelers driving by themselves, there is an exclusive parking lot in the venue with sufficient parking spaces and convenient parking. You can directly navigate to “Red Brick Art Museum Beijing” to arrive. It should be noted that there are many travelers going there on weekends and holidays. It is recommended to plan the travel time in advance to avoid the peak crowd.
Regarding opening hours and tickets, Red Brick Art Museum is open all year round (except for special holidays). The opening hours are 10:00-18:00 every Tuesday to Sunday, and closed on Mondays (except for legal holidays); tickets are divided into permanent exhibition tickets and temporary exhibition tickets. Permanent exhibitions are open for free, and the price of temporary exhibition tickets is usually 80-150 yuan. Students and the elderly can enjoy discounts with valid certificates, and foreign travelers can buy discounted tickets with their passports. It is recommended that foreign travelers check the latest opening hours, exhibition information and ticket prices through the official website and official WeChat public account of Red Brick Art Museum in advance, or book tickets online in advance to avoid queuing on site and improve the visiting experience.
When visiting Red Brick Art Museum, there are some practical tips for foreign travelers: first, it is recommended to wear comfortable shoes. The art museum needs to be visited on foot, and some areas have steps. Comfortable shoes can make the visit more relaxed; second, it is recommended to wear solid-color clothes (such as white, black, beige), which match the red brick walls and light and shadow, making photos more outstanding; third, Beijing has distinct four seasons. Spring and autumn have comfortable weather and soft light and shadow, which are the best seasons to visit Red Brick Art Museum. In summer, it is recommended to avoid the high temperature period at noon. In winter, you need to prepare warm clothes. At the same time, the heating in the venue is sufficient, and you can add or remove clothes at any time; fourth, there is no convenience store in the venue. It is recommended to carry a bottle of drinking water in advance, and various drinks can also be purchased in the café; fifth, if you want to deeply understand the exhibition works, you can rent an audio guide (supporting English explanation) on site or make an appointment for an English interpreter to further feel the artistic connotation behind the works.
There are many characteristic scenic spots and delicacies around Red Brick Art Museum, which are very suitable for foreign travelers to visit in combination to create a fulfilling art trip. About 10 minutes’ walk from the art museum is Hegelao Village Art Zone, which gathers many small galleries, artist studios and characteristic homestays, full of artistic atmosphere. Foreign travelers can walk here and feel the perfect integration of countryside and art; about 15 minutes by taxi from the art museum, you can reach 798 Art Zone, which is the most representative contemporary art zone in Beijing, full of art galleries, design studios, cultural and creative stores and street graffiti, with an avant-garde and dynamic style, forming a sharp contrast with the retro and quiet of Red Brick Art Museum, suitable for foreign travelers who like avant-garde art.
In terms of food, the surrounding area gathers Chinese characteristic restaurants, Western light food restaurants and creative restaurants, meeting different taste needs. The “Red Brick Restaurant” near the art museum has a decoration style corresponding to the art museum, focusing on Chinese creative dishes, combining traditional Chinese dishes with contemporary art elements, with both beauty and taste. Foreign travelers can taste classic Chinese dishes such as Kung Pao Chicken and Sweet and Sour Mandarin Fish here, and feel the charm of Chinese food; the “Forest Light Food Restaurant” about 5 minutes’ walk from the art museum focuses on healthy light food, salads, pasta, etc., with fresh ingredients and delicate taste, suitable for resting and dining when tired from walking. Sitting by the window of the restaurant, you can also enjoy the distant red brick building complex, full of atmosphere. In addition, there are many characteristic cafes and dessert shops around, suitable for casual rest and feeling the slow-paced artistic life.
Red Brick Art Museum Beijing, an aesthetic space with red bricks as the carrier and art as the soul, has no noisy crowds or commercial impetuosity, only a pure artistic atmosphere, a quiet light and shadow artistic conception and profound cultural heritage. Here, foreign travelers can not only appreciate the distinctive red brick architecture and feel the perfect integration of Eastern gardens and Western architecture; but also appreciate the charm of Chinese and foreign contemporary art and understand the diverse expression of Chinese contemporary art; they can also feel the artistic atmosphere and market warmth of Beijing in the surrounding scenic spots and delicacies. For foreign travelers who love art and are eager to deeply understand Chinese contemporary culture, this place is not only a check-in spot, but also a dialogue between the soul and art, an unforgettable aesthetic journey. Wandering here, every red brick hides the code of art, every work conveys diverse cultures, and every ray of light and shadow tells a quiet poetry, allowing every foreign traveler to find their own artistic resonance here and leave an unforgettable Beijing travel memory full of art and fireworks.
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