A landmark collaboration has been announced between Yuz Museum Shanghai (YUZ), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), and Qatar Museums (QM)
In Production: Art and the Studio System, the inaugural exhibition of this partnership, opens November 7 in Shanghai
(Doha—October 31, 2019) Yuz Museum Shanghai (YUZ), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), and Qatar Museums (QM) announce a historic collaboration to jointly develop and share exhibitions and programs across their institutions.
The partnership aims to encourage the exchange of art and ideas among these three cities
Each a leader in the cultural sector. Each museum will bring unique expertise, collections, and audiences, forging a multi-site exhibition program that is truly global in perspective.
The inaugural exhibition of this partnership, In Production: Art and the Studio System, explores the interconnected histories of visual art and film. Featured artists include Cayetano Ferrer, Douglas Gordon, Alex Israel, Mike Kelley, Alex Prager, Amanda Ross-Ho, and Martine Syms. Opening to the public on November 7, 2019, in Shanghai, In Production is grounded in works from LACMA’s renowned permanent collection. The exhibition is curated by Rita Gonzalez, Terri and Michael Smooke Curator and Department Head, Contemporary Art, at LACMA.
Following In Production, the exhibition schedule continues with three shows to be presented in 2020, including The Abode of Illusions: The Garden of Zhang Daqian (March–May 2020), drawing from the Yuz Collection, and This Is Not a Selfie: Photographic Self-Portraits from the Audrey and Sydney Irmas Collection (May–August 2020), which features works from LACMA’s permanent collection. The third exhibition, Yoshitomo Nara, will be on view at LACMA (April 5–August 2, 2020) before travelling to Yuz Museum (Fall 2020).
Further plans for exhibitions and curatorial projects involving Yuz Museum, LACMA and Qatar Museums are currently under discussion.
“We are thrilled to embark on this collaboration with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Qatar Museums, which fundamentally reconsiders the possibilities for institutional cooperation. Yuz Museum aims to create a window into China’s contemporary culture for the world, and this new partnership aligns with that mission in allowing YUZ to engage audiences in Los Angeles and Doha,” said Budi Tek, founder and chairman of Yuz Museum. “The exchange LACMA, QM and YUZ are forging together through shared exhibitions and programs will support our endeavour to serve the people of China by bringing culturally significant works from across the world to Shanghai.”
“Los Angeles, Shanghai, and Doha are three centres of contemporary art. LACMA is excited to collaborate with Yuz Museum and Qatar Museums to introduce a varied and spectacular set of exhibitions in Shanghai and Doha. Together, we are experimenting with new and innovative ways to share the collections and programs from LACMA, YUZ, and Qatar Museums with a larger global audience,” said Michael Govan, LACMA CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director. “In the last decade, LACMA has placed tremendous emphasis on growing its Chinese art exhibitions, acquisitions, publications, and educational programming, and we look forward to continuing to engage people with Chinese art and culture on an international scale. We further look forward to an expanded partnership with Qatar Museums, with whom we have been collaborating on exhibition exchange since 2012. Qatar is an inspiring place for the arts right now, with rapidly expanding museum infrastructure, collections, expertise, and audiences.”
Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Chair of Qatar Museums, said, “At Qatar Museums, we always look inward and outward at the same time—inward to the next generation of creators and cultural audiences within our country, and outward to artists and audiences throughout the world. This collaboration with Yuz Museum and LACMA advances both aspects of our mission while enabling us to add substantially to the programs of both these distinguished partner institutions. Thanks to this agreement, we can now look forward to sharing ideas, insights, and creative visions from Doha with the public in Shanghai and Los Angeles, and to bringing extraordinary new experiences to our diverse and deeply engaged public in Qatar.”
Hyundai Motor’s on-going ten-year partnership with LACMA extends to China at YUZ, as the presenting sponsor for the inaugural exhibition of this partnership, followed by two other exhibitions and visitor programs with LACMA and YUZ Museum. Wonhong Cho, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President at Hyundai Motor, said, “Hyundai’s commitment to the arts extends around the world from Europe to North America and across Asia. Having witnessed the evolution and growing appreciation of arts and culture in Shanghai in recent years, we will now support and celebrate this through our partnership with LACMA at YUZ Museum Shanghai.”
Yuz Museum Shanghai, officially opened in May of 2014, is a contemporary art museum founded by Mr. Budi Tek, a Chinese-Indonesian entrepreneur, philanthropist and collector. The museum is located on Shanghai’s West Bund and plays an important role in the West Bund Cultural Corridor. Yuz Museum is committed to drawing the world’s attention to Shanghai, advancing the development of contemporary Chinese art, actively engaging in the field of art education, and promoting cultural dialogues between East and West. As a non-profit institution, the museum aims to serve as a leader in exhibiting contemporary Chinese art and to build a preeminent reputation for contemporary art in China. Designed by acclaimed Japanese architect, Sou Fujimoto, the museum was renovated from an old hangar of the former Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Factory.
Located on the Pacific Rim, LACMA is the largest art museum in the western United States, with a collection of nearly 142,000 objects that illuminate 6,000 years of artistic expression across the globe. Committed to showcasing a multitude of art histories, LACMA exhibits and interprets works of art from new and unexpected points of view that are informed by the region’s rich cultural heritage and diverse population. LACMA’s spirit of experimentation is reflected in its work with artists, technologists, and thought leaders as well as in its regional, national, and global partnerships to share collections and programs, create pioneering initiatives, and engage new audiences.
Qatar Museums (QM) connects the museums, cultural institutions and heritage sites in Qatar and creates the conditions for them to thrive and flourish. It centralizes resources and provides a comprehensive organization for the development of museums and cultural projects, with a long-term ambition of creating a strong and sustainable cultural infrastructure for Qatar. Under the patronage of His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and led by its Chairperson, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, QM is consolidating Qatar’s efforts to become a vibrant centre for the arts, culture and education in the Middle East and beyond. Since its founding in 2005, QM has overseen the development of the Museum of Islamic Art, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Fire Station: Artists in Residence, The National Museum of Qatar and the Al Zubarah World Heritage Site Visitor Center, among other projects. Future projects include the launch of the highly anticipated 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum.
Top Photo LACMA: P C Robinson © Artlyst 2019