The He Art Museum will finally open to the public on October 1st, after delays due to the coronavirus pandemic. Designed by Pritzker Prize laureate Tadao Ando, the museum located in Guangdong, China will be home to the He family’s art collection, focusing mainly on International Contemporary Art, Chinese Modern Art, and Chinese Contemporary Art.
Reviving the Greater Bay Area’s art scene with its awaited inauguration, HEM was first set to open to the public as of the 21st of March 2020. Delayed because of the pandemic, the museum will be inaugurated on the 1st of October 2020, presenting its launch exhibition, “From the Mundane World”, curated by independent art curator and critic FENG Boyi along with HU Bin, WANG Xiaosong, LIU Gang, SHAO Shu. In fact, “the exhibition extends the original attributes of worldly scenery to production, consumption, ecology, environment, examining the situation of human civilization in the laws of nature. It will be on view on the second to the third floor”.
We are proud to be rooted in our community and stay connected to the Greater Bay Area. Our visitors will discover world-class artworks and our Cantonese heritage through theme exhibitions and permanent exhibitions. Meanwhile, we will introduce HEM2, a program that is committed to creating various public events to engage with the local residents. -- SHAO Shu, Director of HEM.
Inspired by “ancient Chinese cosmology, philosophy, western style’s use of light and Lingnan’s terrain”, Tadao Ando created a place of harmony. Located in Shunde, Guangdong province in southern China, HEM, was founded by He Jianfeng and includes over 500 works ranging from painting, calligraphy, photography, to sculpture.
The project filled with natural light flowing from the central “sky well” to the exhibition spaces, generates an atrium with double-helix staircases that reinterprets contemporary traditional Chinese architectural principles. Creating mainly circular exhibition spaces, Ando drew inspiration from the waterside pavilions found in the Lingnan’s heritage.
My vision for HEM is to bring art and culture to the people of my hometown of Shunde, the Pearl River Delta, China, and international visitors who are curious about our heritage and culture. I hope the museum can contribute to cultural initiatives that the country’s Greater Bay Area Development Plan envisions. -- HE Jianfeng, Founder of HEM.
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