Setting Sail Toward the Future from Dunhuang: The Inauguration of Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum in Yangpu, Shanghai
In November 2024, Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum will open in Yangpu District, Shanghai. This bold exploration marks the first time the culturally rich concept of "Dunhuang" has been integrated into the philosophy of a contemporary art institution. The inaugural exhibition Staging Dunhuang, will launch a pioneering experiment that transcends time and geography.
Dunhuang Contemporary is jointly initiated by Dunhuang Culture & Tourism Group, Yangpu Science and Technology Innovation Group, and Shanghai Fucai Culture. The museum aims to draw inspiration and energy from Dunhuang to engage in multidimensional dialogues between tradition and modernity, technology and art, China and the world, showcasing the rich and diverse achievements of human thought.
Dunhuang Contemporary will continue to conduct multidisciplinary research and curation related to the World Heritage Site of Dunhuang. Through collection, exhibition, academic research, publication, digital transformation, artist residency project, and public education, it seeks to explore the historical evolution of modern Chinese art and contemporary reinterpretations of traditional culture. The museum aims to establish an international platform for artistic practice and theoretical research based in China, connecting classical and modern knowledge with a global perspective.
Dunhuang Contemporary: A Meeting of Cultures
建筑效果图
Designed by the architectural firm Mind.x, the Dunhuang Contemporary features an exterior reminiscent of wind-sculpted sand dunes or arched caves, evoking Dunhuang’s natural landscapes. The facade flows with the rhythm of flowing clouds, echoing the aesthetic elements found in Dunhuang murals while adding rich variations to the structure of the museum.
Inside, the museum boasts a 1,500 m2 open exhibition hall, alongside facilities such as a bookstore, café, educational and family areas, and luggage storage, providing a range of educational, recreational, and service options.
Using art as a bridge, Dunhuang Contemporary aims to link resources of Dunhuang, Shanghai, and the world from a global and multidisciplinary perspective. Supported by the Dunhuang Museum, Xishuangbanna Library, Harvard Library, Bibliothèque Nationale de France (National Library of France), and the State Hermitage Museum in Russia, the opening exhibition brings together national and international collections and studies of Dunhuang. This art museum will serve as fertile ground for citizens to learn and foster urban creativity, as well as an open platform for interdisciplinary research, art, ideas, and cultural exchange.
An Extraordinary Dunhuang Special Exhibition: A Dialogue between Historical Artifacts and Contemporary Art
展览“境象敦煌”展览现场效果图
The exhibition features 21 renowned contemporary artists: CAO Shu, CHEN Zhihao, DING Yi, GAO Shiqiang, GU Fei, HU Junjun, LU Wen, NI Youyu, OUYANG Lin, PENG Wei, SHAO Wenhuan, SHI Zhiying, SHI Weixiang, SHI Dunyu, SUN Zhijun, XIE Xiaoze, ZHANG Huan, ZHENG Bo, ZHOU Zhenru and ZOU Yingzi, (listed in alphabetical order). These artists engage in a dialogue between Dunhuang’s ancient books, archives, artifacts, and contemporary art. Notably, several works were created by artists during their residency in Dunhuang, with Yang Zhenzhong and Cao Shu among the first artists to join the Artist Residency Project of Dunhuang Contemporary. Through unique perspectives and innovative approaches, these contemporary artists will offer the public a novel way of looking at Dunhuang.
作品：宇宙模型（局部）
艺术家：谢晓泽
作品：香云纱的涅槃
艺术家：胡军军
The inaugural exhibition Staging Dunhuang bridges the ancient and the modern by facilitating a dialogue between documents, archives and artifacts with contemporary art. Featuring recent works by a wide range of artists, the exhibition responds to Dunhuang’s rich historical and cultural heritage, explores new paths to preserve its legacy. The exhibition consists of four parts – History, Nature, representation, and mindscape. It showcases the profound and unique charm of Dunhuang culture by bringing together precious Dunhuang artifacts scattered across different collections, such as the Palm Leaf Manuscripts, the Stone Pagoda of the Northern Liang, and Tang-period Painted Brick with Image of a Hu Merchant Leading a Camel. Through multimedia formats like video and interactive installations, the exhibition creates an immersive “staging” into artworks, blending special exhibition designs to evoke a sensory experience across time, geography, and domains, inviting the audience to re-perceive this familiar cultural symbol.
Connecting the World to Dunhuang from Shanghai
As a cultural landmark, Dunhuang Contemporary serves both as a cultural symbol and as a “soul carrier” of the city.
The museum will actively promote societal aesthetic education, bringing culture and art closer to citizens. During the Staging Dunhuang exhibition, the museum will host interactive public art and education activities for diverse audiences, including academic lectures, artist forums, themed nights, art master classes, and Youth Educational Tours. This initiative aims to provide Shanghai citizens with greater opportunities to learn about the development of global aesthetics and ensure that the achievements of urban development benefit the public more equitably.
The character Dun signifies grandeur, while the character Huang signifies prosperity. Together, Dunhuang is a world-renowned treasure on the Silk Road, a clear spring in the river of history, reflecting the past, illuminating the future. From Shanghai, a current global hub, we gaze toward Dunhuang, a historical hub. The two seemingly disparate entities are yet interconnected in myriad ways, which is precisely the purpose and vision behind the establishment of Dunhuang Contemporary. The museum aspires to become a modern “cave” that connects Dunhuang's legacy with the rest of the world.