Beijing's Art Scene in Autumn 2003: Biennial, Factory 798, and the Rise of a Market

In autumn 2003, Beijing's art scene was marked by the first Beijing International Biennale, which opened on September 20 at the National Gallery of Art and the China Millennium Monument Museum. However, the official event was overshadowed by unofficial exhibitions scattered across the city, partly due to SARS fears and a lack of big-name artists. A sense of biennial fatigue had set in after the Shanghai Biennale and Guangdong Triennale. Meanwhile, Factory 798 in Dashanzi emerged as a vibrant hub, hosting galleries like Tokyo Gallery's Beijing Tokyo Art Projects and the 25000 Cultural Transmission Center, run by Lu Jie, organizer of the Long March art project. Local Chinese entrepreneurs opened five private exhibition spaces there. The first Beijing International Contemporary Art Fair was planned for April 2004. The city's urban fabric, lacking a centralized art district, featured pockets of activity in areas like SOHO New Town, which displayed a permanent sculpture collection. Chinese artists were increasingly traveling to international exhibitions in Istanbul, New York, Paris, and Tokyo. The article, written by Meg Maggio, director of Courtyard Gallery, notes that the underground Chinese art scene had become mainstream and that discussions were moving beyond simplistic Maoist slogans.