The 9th Gallery Weekend Beijing will be held from May 23rd to June 1st, featuring VIP Days from May 23rd to 25th and Public Days from May 27th to June 1st. Since its inception in 2017, Gallery Weekend Beijing has spent eight years fostering dialogue between the art world and public culture with its locally rooted perspective and internationally minded professionalism, gradually establishing itself as one of China's most influential art platforms.

On April 25th, the press conference and roundtable forum for the 9th Gallery Weekend Beijing took place at the 798CUBE Lecture Hall, announcing updates to its programming and the highly anticipated lineup of participants. Attendees included Yan Mingdan, Deputy Party Committee Secretary and General Manager of Beijing 798 Culture Co., Ltd.; Philip Tinari, Director of UCCA Center for Contemporary Art; Yang Beichen, Director of MACA Art Center; Qu Kejie, Founder of Magician Space; David Chau, Co-founder of Ling Dengyu Yi Art Group; and Bao Dong, Artistic Director of Beijing Contemporary Art Fair.

Gallery Weekend Beijing 2025 Press Conference Scene

At the press conference, Yan Mingdan, Deputy Party Committee Secretary and General Manager of Beijing 798 Culture Co., Ltd., emphasized: "Gallery Weekend Beijing marks the beginning of an exciting new cultural framework - the 'Beijing Art Season'. This initiative creates a temporal continuum that connects major local exhibitions, art fairs, festivals, and public programs through institutional collaboration, forging an integrated ecosystem of content exchange, audience engagement, and cultural co-creation. What we're building transcends mere quantitative expansion of exhibitions; it represents a qualitative leap in cultural impact - a strategic elevation from professional art mechanisms to citywide cultural governance."

Speech by Yan Mingdan, General Manager of Beijing 798 Culture Co., Ltd.

The 9th Gallery Weekend Beijing has implemented significant structural reforms, transitioning from an open application system to a curated invitation-only model. Five selection committee members - Leng Lin (Beijing Commune), Wingyee Peng (Galleria Continua Beijing), Qu Kejie (Magician Space), Tian Yuan (Empty Gallery), and Xi Tao (A26 Space) (listed alphabetically) - were elected by 21 galleries from last year's main program. This committee conducted rigorous evaluations of all previous participants before voting on this year's lineup, with each member retaining one discretionary nomination for emerging Beijing-based galleries (operating over one year) new to the event.

The 2025 edition features 30 local galleries and a record 11 nonprofit institutions. The main program includes established 798-based spaces celebrating milestones like Beijing Commune's 20th anniversary, alongside debutants including MG Space and MOU MOU. Nonprofit participation reaches unprecedented scale with returning powerhouses like UCCA and new entrants including Taikang Art Museum. Antenna Space joins with special projects, reflecting the upgraded event's commitment to enriching Beijing's cultural ecosystem through diversified collaborations and open values - all advancing the "Beijing Art Season" vision.

Centered in 798·751 with satellite activations across CBD Art Zone and Caochangdi, this year's program will unleash the city's artistic potential through 50+ exhibitions, 20+ social events, and 20+ professional forums, collectively amplifying Beijing's global cultural influence.

The 9th Gallery Weekend Beijing will feature over 50 exhibitions that comprehensively showcase cutting-edge trends in global art through multiple perspectives:

1. 1、Responding to the international art world's heightened focus on female creation, it will present a comprehensive display of women artists across generations from China and abroad.

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3. 2、In an era where AI and biotechnology are reshaping human cognition, the exhibitions will explore the symbiotic relationship and future connections between contemporary art, technology, life and nature.

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5. 3、Respecting the creativity of younger generations, it will showcase their responses to issues like identity and globalization through comprehensive media including video, installation and performance.

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7. 4、Highlighting the continuous evolution of painting as a medium, witnessing its in-depth exploration from history to contemporary practice.

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9. 5、Through diverse thematic group exhibitions, it will stimulate dialogues between curators, audiences and artworks, examining ecological resonances under multiple narratives.

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These projects also demonstrate how diverse perspectives are reconstructing the new art ecosystem.

The thriving landscape of contemporary art relies not only on exhibitions but also on vibrant interaction and collecting ecosystems. This year, Gallery Weekend Beijing will organize over 20 high-end social events including dinners, parties and private gatherings to build in-depth communication platforms for collectors, curators, artists and other professionals, promoting industry interaction.

Meanwhile, as an engine for stimulating intellectual discourse in the industry, the 9th Gallery Weekend Beijing will collaborate with ART021 BEIJING Modern & Contemporary Art Fair and Beijing Contemporary Art Fair - both also rooted in Beijing - to host over 20 professional forums during the event. These will cover in-depth topics such as art market analysis and public art practice, providing forward-looking insights into the industry.

Gallery Weekend Beijing 2025 Press Conference Highlights

The 9th Gallery Weekend Beijing has introduced significant updates to its "Best Exhibition Award" and "Boundary-breaking Exploration Award" selection mechanisms in response to this year's expanded exhibition scale and enriched content. Since its establishment in 2018, the "Best Exhibition Award" has been one of Gallery Weekend Beijing's most prestigious honors. This year's selection process will feature intergenerational collaboration between young curators and experienced non-profit institution directors. Gallery Weekend Beijing has invited five post-80s and 90s curators who have long focused on Beijing's art ecosystem to form a nomination committee that will jointly nominate 8-10 candidate exhibitions. In the final selection stage, a jury composed of 3-5 directors from non-profit art institutions will choose the winning exhibition from the nominated candidates. Meanwhile, the "Boundary-breaking Exploration Award," added last year, focuses on encouraging artists to experiment with new art forms, mediums, and modes of expression while inspiring art participants to collectively break exhibition boundaries. This award will be independently judged by the five post-80s and 90s young curators from the "Best Exhibition Award" nomination committee. These adjustments aim to establish a more open and forward-looking evaluation system through intergenerational collaboration among curators, further stimulating diversity in artistic creation and critical thinking. This also reflects Gallery Weekend Beijing's commitment to the sustainability of the art ecosystem - through structural optimization that breaks down barriers, allowing professional voices from different generations to collectively shape evaluation criteria.

Yuan Hong Named Ambassador for Gallery Weekend Beijing 2025

This year, Gallery Weekend Beijing is honored to have actor and art media personality Yuan Hong (founder of "Art Brain") serve as its official ambassador, jointly embarking on a new journey of artistic exploration. As a widely recognized actor and influential art enthusiast, Yuan Hong will collaborate with Gallery Weekend Beijing to guide audiences through a captivating art experience, leveraging his genuine passion for art and unique perspective to open doors to extraordinary artistic encounters. The appointment celebrates his dual role as both established performer and innovative art communicator through his platform "Art Brain," perfectly aligning with Gallery Weekend Beijing's mission to make contemporary art accessible to broader audiences through authentic, engaging storytelling.

On-site at the Roundtable Forum of Gallery Weekend Beijing 2025 Press Conference

During the concluding roundtable discussion, Yan Mingdan (Deputy Party Committee Secretary and General Manager of Beijing 798 Culture Co., Ltd.), Philip Tinari (Director of UCCA Center for Contemporary Art), Yang Beichen (Director of MACA Art Center), Qu Kejie (Founder of Magician Space), David Chau (Co-founder of Ling Dengyu Yi Art Group), and Bao Dong (Artistic Director of Beijing Contemporary Art Fair) engaged in comprehensive discussions regarding the new mechanisms of the 9th Gallery Weekend Beijing and the development of Beijing's urban art network.

On-site at the Roundtable Forum of Gallery Weekend Beijing 2025 Press Conference

"As China's pioneering art event that first introduced the international gallery week model, Gallery Weekend Beijing is about to celebrate its landmark ninth edition. Through eight years of dedicated development, we have consistently advanced the construction of the art ecosystem with professional commitment, rooted in Beijing's rich cultural heritage while building bridges between local and international art scenes. In 2025, Gallery Weekend Beijing will further strengthen its platform functions, committed to providing better exhibition spaces for participating galleries, non-profit institutions and artists, while facilitating diverse dialogues and innovative practices. During the upcoming event, participating organizations will jointly present a series of high-level exhibition projects on an unprecedented scale. We sincerely invite global art professionals to gather in Beijing this May to witness this extraordinary art celebration and jointly promote the flourishing development of the 'Beijing Art Season'."  

— Gallery Weekend Beijing Team