28 CHINESE, THE GREAT SUMMER EXHIBITION AT THE ASIAN ART MUSEUM,

Exhibitions

The Asian Art Museum offers a wonderful exhibition dedicated to Chinese contemporary art through 28 prestigious artists. It is our recommendation for this summer.

28 Chinese offers glimpses of Chinese contemporary art through the works of 28 artists, ranging from those new to the spotlight like Liu Wei, He Xiangyu and Xu Zhen to the internationally acclaimed Zhang Huan and Ai Weiwei. These artists have made a significant impact on the art world and expanded definitions of Chinese contemporary art. On view June 5 through Aug. 16, the exhibition features 48 artworks that reveal powerful responses to China today as well as reflections on Chinese tradition.

If you had time for one exhibition in San Francisco this summer, go ahead and visit the Asian Art Museum.

Let's start in the Osher Gallery showcasing a spectrum of abstract paintings. Colorful, bright, sharp and yet the gallery offers a rather cozy atmosphere.

Then, you will face the highlight of the exhibition : Zhu Jinshi’s monumental installation, Boat, which is 40 feet long, making it the largest artwork the museum has installed. Inspired and inspiring. Don't forget your cameras!

The Hambrecht Gallery shelters the Storytelling side of the exhibition. A number of artworks in 28 Chinese present narratives in different mediums, and frequently these narratives are surreal, humorous, absurd and disorienting. In many cases, the artworks offer only a snapshot of a mesmerizing narrative formed from personal memories and fantasies, science, literature and everyday life. We loved the Darkness lightbulb!

Then discover the new media gallery and the Cola Project room.Witty, unsettling, triggering different kinds of reflexion and appreciations.

And then, almost disappointed, you think it's over. But no worries. The exhibition is going on upstairs. What a great and smart idea from the curators. You're invited to an artistic treasure hunt throughout the permanent collection gathering more than 2,000 artworks from all the major cultures of Asia.

You will find the Ai Weiwei's Table with Two Legs and Ton of tea. You will face a giant Mao and finally be mesmerized by the artist Zhang Huan and his ultra famous photograph To Raise the Water Level in a Fishpond (Distant).