‘Art Is Never Flat’: Beijing Dangdai Shakes Up May Art Season

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Beijing’s contemporary art calendar is about to heat up. 

From May 22 to 25, the 2025 edition of the Beijing Dangdai Art Fair lands once again at the National Agricultural Exhibition Center, taking over 20,000 square metres and welcoming 88 galleries from 32 cities and 12 countries.

Speaking on this year’s theme, CONCAVE-CONVEX, Bao Dong, artistic director of the fair, said it ‘reflects how reality is full of differences that lock together, like mortise-and-tenon joints in traditional Chinese carpentry. Together, those contrasts build something stronger’.

‘Art has never been flat—it’s all ups and downs,’ Bao explained. And it’s that idea of dimensionality—formal, cultural, economic—that the fair leans into.

Returning to the fair are long-time fixtures like Beijing Commune, Tang Contemporary, and Tokyo Gallery + BTAP, all marking their seventh straight year. Among the 2024 participants, around 50 galleries are returning—an indicator of continued faith in Beijing’s market.

That confidence seems to be catching on, with a host of new participants like Munich’s The Tiger Room and the Berlin-based PSM. Joining the line-up are also some major players from the region who have spent years sitting on the Dangdai sidelines, like ShanghART and Taipei’s Eslite Gallery.

Eslite Gallery is coming in strong for its debut with works by some of the biggest names in Chinese contemporary art including Cai Guo-Qiang, Liu Xiaodong, Xu Bing, and Zhan Wang. 

Gallery director Lai Ying-Cheng explained their approach: ‘We’ve chosen both conceptual sculpture and visually striking paintings to connect with collectors from all kinds of backgrounds.’

‘We’re not chasing trends. We’re focused on exceptional artists and works that hold long-term value.’

It’s a logic that makes sense in the current economic climate. With recent U.S.–China tariffs disrupting parts of the market, collectors are adjusting their strategies.

Sherry Lai, co-founder of SPURS, anticipated the possibility of ‘short-term disruption’. ‘But we’re hearing from many collectors who say they’ll be focusing more on Chinese artists over the next couple years—cutting back on investments in the West, and building domestic collections instead.’

SPURS returns to Beijing Dangdai after a brief hiatus, presenting a solo booth dedicated to conceptual pioneer Zhang Peili. They’re not alone, with a number of veteran galleries using solo presentations as their strategy this year. White Space will feature kinetic installations by Japanese artist Yuko Mohri; while Platform China will showcase the realist paintings of Xi’an-based Jing Kewen.

Adding a layer of history to all this, several of Beijing’s most established galleries—Galleria Continua, Star Gallery, SPURS, Platform China, and Beijing Commune—are celebrating their 20th anniversaries during the fair. It’s a reminder that while the landscape shifts, Beijing’s role as a contemporary art hub remains firmly in place. —[O]

Main image: Beijing Dangdai Art Fair (23–26 May 2024). Courtesy Beijing Dangdai Art Fair.