Road To Recovery

WITH CHINA BEING one of the first countries to lift its lockdown, Beijing also became one of the first cities to try and restore normalcy to its art scene. Over two weekends, the capital city held its fourth annual Gallery Weekend Beijing with less than half the usual visitor numbers. Most of its international visitors - usually numbering about 50,000 - stayed away due to the travel restrictions.

Held at the sprawling 798 Art Zone, 22 galleries and institutions opened their doors - some for the first time since the lockdown - to welcome tentative visitors still donning face masks and shields. Mandatory temperature checks were carried out, as were constant announcements to keep at least two metres apart from each other. In some galleries, the artworks were spread farther apart to discourage human clustering. Gallery assistants often intervened to remind visitors.

At the art museum UCCA Center of Contemporary Art, curators had conceived and installed a Covid-19-themed exhibition within just a month. Titled Meditations In An Emergency, it features 26 Chinese and international artists reflecting on the role of art in a challenging time like this. The artworks include a few made in response to the 2003 SARS epidemic which have now become all too topical again.