Presented to coincide with the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Our Future: The Guy & Myriam Ullens Foundation Collection will tell the story of Guy and Myriam Ullens’ long-term commitment to Chinese artists and their work.

The Exhibition

With these factors as the context, UCCA presents: Our Future: The Guy & Myriam Ullens Foundation Collection. The exhibition will display a significant selection of the contemporary pieces from the Ullens Foundation collection. This will mark the first time that such a large selection of the collection is presented in China, including sculpture, painting, video, photography, sound and installations as well as new acquisitions and specific commissions. The selection presented in the exhibition includes groundbreaking works that explore how these artists are developing critical responses to the coexistence of many diverse experiences in China, such as the small gestures that are significant in daily life, or the mass media’s blurring of reality, fantasy, expectations and history, as well as the urban construction and destruction cycles.

Featuring 60 Chinese artists, including six new commissions, two performances and four recent acquisitions, the exhibition will present no less than 92 works by such artists as Chen Zhen, Gu Wenda, Huang Yong Ping, Wang Du, Wang Guangyi, Zhang Xiaogang, and feature new commissions from Amy Chueng, Cao Fei, Chu Yun, Qiu Zhijie, Shen Yuan and Wu Jicong. Our Future will also present site specific performances by He Yunchang and Yang Jiechang, and offer new acquisitions from Wang Jianwei, Xie Nanxing and Yang Fudong.

Viewing the exhibition is anything but static; it has been curated with a dynamic, experiential approach in mind. Visitors will discover the exhibition through an open space, in addition to platforms, tunnels, shadows and light for an overall playful experience.

This is the first in a series of exhibitions at UCCA that will explore key themes and artworks in the Ullens Foundation collection.

A comprehensive program of educational activities and events will run throughout the exhibition period, including international conferences during the opening weekend and the Olympics, as well as courses conducted in Chinese on the ‘hows and whys’ of collecting art. During the Olympic season, UCCA’s restaurant and terrace will provide a creative dining experience with a twist, with regular events hosted by musicians, artists and DJ’s.

A catalogue of Our Future: The Guy & Myriam Ullens Foundation Collection will accompany the show. The 200 page catalogue, written in both Chinese and English, will reflect the active spirit of the exhibition, featuring Jérôme Sans in dialogue with Guy and Myrian Ullens, essays from curators Kate Fowle and Guo Xiaoyan about the exhibition, a letter from Fei Dawei on the story of the Ullens Foundation and its relationship with artists, as well as quotes and presentations from the artists themselves.