aedes architecture forum examines the role of museums within contemporary china

at aedes architecture forum in berlin, an exhibition documents the role that museums play within the social, political, and cultural landscape of contemporary china. taking 16 institutions as case studies, ‘zài xīng tǔ mù’ considers the tasks and aims of cultural spaces, set against the backdrop of the 21st century’s global, digital, urban, and demographic challenges. more place-specific concerns, such as heritage and identity, are also examined.

earthly pond centre in qingdao by HHD_FUN
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15 years ago, the aedes architecture forum presented ‘TU-MU’, an exhibition that showcased the first generation of independent chinese creatives — including wang shu, yung ho chang, and ai weiwei. first in berlin and later in shanghai, the display won many of the firms international attention. now, a new exhibition focuses on a set of crucial questions regarding the role of the museum: how is local and national identity defined by the museum design and curation? how does the museum function within the context of its local social and urban environment? which form or shape was identified as being most suitable for the museum’s function and its context?

ningbo museum in ningbo by amateur architecture studio
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of the 16 museums on show, 15 were designed by architects either as new or converted buildings, while the additional example — the new workers museum in beijing — grew out of an NGO initiative. the project was implemented in a former industrial plant in a village outside of beijing, and serves as an example of architecture created without architects.

guangdong museum in guangzhou by rocco design
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the selected projects are representative of different aspects of the contemporary museum typology. each architect shows one important scheme, with supporting information included in the form of videos from the architects, artists, curators, and collectors involved. this seeks to provide an insight into the challenges the professionals faced, while also offering a new understanding of cultural production and public engagement.

earthquake museum in beichuan by cai yongjie
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today, over 3,500 museums in china are open to the public, most financed directly by the government. additionally, private collectors or commercial firms have established approximately 500 museums to display their collections. china’s ‘museum boom’ corresponds to the country’s rapid urbanization over the past 30 years, with a huge number of new projects completed each month. within this context, the roles and program of new museums are increasingly important.

intangible heritage museum in suzhou by vector architects / image by chen hao
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curated by eduard kögel and conceptualized by hans-jürgen commerell, the exhibition comprises three basic elements. firstly, instead of showcasing photographs of the museums, a professional painter — yiming liao from dafen village in shenzhen — was commissioned to interpret the buildings in their urban or rural environment. the resulting oil paintings are presented in a traditional, museum–style layout, together with a selection of models for each project. other documentation includes video interviews alongside written observations, research, and analyses.

‘zài xīng tǔ mù — sixteen chinese museums fifteen chinese architects’ opens at berlin’s aedes architecture forum on august 27, and remains on view until october 13, 2016.

artron art centre in shenzhen by urbanus
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wang xiaohui art museum in suzhou by EXH/wang xiaohui

museum of handcraft paper in gaoligong by TAO
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xiao feng art museum in hangzhou by standardarchitecture
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new workers museum in beijing by NGO

museum of contemporary art in dali by studio zhu pei
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yiming liao, professional painter from dafen at work

power station of art in shanghai by original design studio
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art museum in zhujiajiao by scenic architecture
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art museum in jishou by atelier feichang jianzhu
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zài xīng tǔ mù — sixteen chinese museums fifteen chinese architects
aedes architecture forum, berlin, germany
august 27, 2016 – october 13, 2016

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