UCCA Dune: New Chinese Museum Opening in Aranya by End of 2018

UCCA (Ullens Center for Contemporary Art), Beijing's leading independent contemporary art institution, will open a second venue called UCCA Dune in Aranya, Beidaihe district, by the end of 2018. Designed by Li Hu and Huang Wenjing of OPEN Architecture, the 930-square-meter museum is partially buried under sand dunes and faces the sea, featuring seven indoor galleries, three outdoor spaces, a café, and a reading room. Its architecture has been described as "Guggenheim-like" for its organic forms reminiscent of the Guggenheim museums in Bilbao and New York. The inaugural exhibition, "After Nature," explores the changing relationship between humans and nature against the backdrop of China's development over the past thirty years. UCCA was founded in 2007 to foster dialogue between local and international art, and its main location in the 798 Art District receives over one million visitors annually. Philip Tinari, UCCA's director, expressed enthusiasm for expanding beyond Beijing and collaborating with artists to offer a unique seaside art experience. Aranya is a tourist and artistic destination a few hours by car or train from the capital, known as a resort for China's upper class and a growing cultural tourism hub.