Today is the 46th International Museum Day , the theme is "The Power of Museums".
How to understand the "power of museums" under the epidemic? How to better adapt to the times, seek long-term development of oneself, and meet the public's expectations and needs for beauty? How to attract more young people to the museum?
Beijing News reporter interviewed Zhang Ran, the director of Today’s Art Museum . As China's first private non-enterprise public welfare contemporary art museum, today's art museum has been actively exploring the sustainable development path of private art museums in China after 20 years of development. Zhang Ran said that he hopes to break the boundary between art and life through a platform like the art museum and bring spiritual healing and cultural nutrients to people at the moment of the spread of the epidemic.
Today's Director of the Art Museum Zhang Ran. Photo provided by the interviewee
Simplify the number of exhibitions and improve the ability to adapt
Beijing News: The theme of this year's "International Museum Day" is "The Power of Museums". How do you understand the term "The Power of Museums"?
Zhang Ran: "The Power of Museums" emphasizes that museums have the ability and potential to influence the human world, and calls on all walks of life to work together to build a better future for mankind. As China's first private non-enterprise art museum, we have always been committed to building an open benchmark public education platform with an international perspective and linking diverse communities, bringing art into the vision of a wider population.
As an "old museum" for twenty years, how to maintain the vitality of 20 years old and lead the industry's pioneering spirit, and do a good job in content and exhibitions that belong to "today". In recent years, we have focused on the integration of contemporary art, design and technology, and have made bold explorations in curatorial methods and audience experience. We hope to use aesthetics to cultivate goodness and connect art with the public and the community, especially at the moment when the epidemic is spreading, bringing spiritual healing and cultural nutrients to people.
Beijing News: What changes have the epidemic brought to art museums in the past two years?
Zhang Ran: The epidemic has brought challenges to all walks of life. For art galleries, it is mainly an impact at the operation level, especially the impact caused by uncertainty. We have spent several years planning the first Beijing exhibition of "Gaetano Pesse: No one is perfect", but the number of visitors has been significantly affected by the epidemic and we are facing the suspension of opening less than a month after the launch. In addition, the museum's international exhibition projects have also been challenged by logistics.
In recent years, we have streamlined the number of exhibitions, but pay more attention to each exhibition planning, public education activities and new media communication. We have also reorganized the internal processes to improve our resilience. During the epidemic, people were unable to enter the art gallery, and the art gallery continued to plan online exhibitions and seminars of all sizes to bring a rich and three-dimensional spiritual experience to the public.
Gaetano Pesey’s first exhibition in Beijing—a corner of the exhibition “Getano Pesey: No one is perfect”. Photo provided by the Art Museum Today
"Art gallery is crucial and indispensable in every era"
Beijing News: As China's first private non-enterprise public welfare contemporary art museum, how can we maintain our health and long-term development?
Zhang Ran: is first of all, firmness. The two years since I took over as the director have been the most difficult two years for the art museum, but because of this difficulty, we are also more determined. No matter what changes happen, no matter how difficult it is, we must strengthen our beliefs and firm our established direction. We will not be "big and complete", but focus more on the integration of "art, design and technology". Especially at a time when survival is problematic, whether art galleries can take a long-term and firm direction is a big test.
In addition, it is innovation. The epidemic "forced" us to make changes in curatorial, audience experience and activities during exhibitions, and at the same time improve efficiency. We have put a lot of effort into management processes, team building, cost savings, etc. While solving the survival problems, my team and I have also invested a lot of energy in exhibition innovation, exhibition experience, operation and management of the art gallery, and have achieved certain results.In 2021, we launched a total of 22 exhibitions, with the number of visitors throughout the year reaching 70w+, and the highest number of visitors for a single exhibition reached 35w.
Beijing News: What role do you think art galleries can play during the epidemic?
Zhang Ran: Art Gallery is like the lonely church designed by our current artist Gaetano Pesey in 1974. It is a bit like a very romantic shelter. Especially in today's impetuous and complex society, we all need to calm down, trigger thinking and feelings through the artist's perspective, explore the world and guide life in a better state. Therefore, art galleries are crucial and indispensable in every era.
At the moment when the epidemic has caused many things to stagnate, we have not stopped. In addition to future exhibition planning, we are also actively planning a series of online activities to bring healing and inspiration to everyone's life during the epidemic.
The Lonely Church designed by artist Gaetano Pesey in 1974 (vertical cross-sectional image). Photo provided by the Art Museum today
Beijing News: In the eyes of some people, art has certain thresholds. How do you view the relationship between art and the lives of ordinary people?
Zhang Ran: We hope to break the boundary between art and life through a platform like the art museum, so that the public can think through the perspective of artists and bring inspiration to life. In the planning of the exhibition, we will also focus on the balance between audience acceptance and academics. Of course, aesthetic education and exhibition viewing habits need to be cultivated. We have been thinking about how to connect with different groups and communities, and to be an art museum that combines an international perspective and China's pioneering content, so as to lead more people into art museums.
Consider the needs of young people and enhance the interactive experience
Beijing News: How does the art gallery choose the exhibition theme today?
Zhang Ran: Our exhibition focuses on three directions: contemporary art, design and technology. In addition, does it conform to our concept of "seeing the future today" - that is, whether the artist's works represent the present and lead the current thinking and point to the future.
At the same time, we will also consider establishing cultural links and dialogues with the community and international context that are closely linked to the Today Art Museum, introducing the most "today" international art to a wide range of domestic audiences and having an impact on them.
For example, our first Beijing exhibition of "Gaetano Pesse: No one is perfect", which opened in March this year, has had a profound impact on the design, architecture and even fashion industry, and a direction of "art, design, and technology" in our works.
Gaetano Pesey’s first exhibition in Beijing—a corner of the exhibition “Getano Pesey: No one is perfect”. Photo provided by the Art Museum Today
Beijing News: How can we attract more young people to the Art Museum? What suggestions do you have for this?
Zhang Ran: We will consider the needs of young people in the exhibition selection and enhance the interactive experience in curation. Last March, we launched the solo exhibition of legendary photographer Vivian Meyer - "Looking for Hidden Genius: Vivian Meyer". We performed a special scene design in this exhibition, not only designed a retro theater that played its award-winning documentary, but also restored the darkroom where Vivian Meyer flushed the negatives in the bathroom of the employer's home. Through this kind of substitution and storyline scene, the audience will walk back to the 1950s and have a deeper understanding and feeling of the artist's era and creative background, which is also popular among young people and forms a word-of-mouth effect.
At the same time, we have also launched a series of online activities, such as cooperating with other platforms during the "Gaetano Pesse: No one is perfect" exhibition, planning the "No one is perfect" art project, inviting everyone to walk into Pesse's "Free City", publishing exhibition notes and warm stories of "imperfection", and inviting audiences to participate in the event from different angles, which has produced a very positive influence.
Beijing News reporter Zhan Shengjie
editor Chen Jing Proofreading Wu Xingfa
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