The First Taikang Art Museum Annual Forum — In Search of Answers from Time

The year 2023 witnessed a vibrant Chinese contemporary art market. From Art Basel Hong Kong early in the year to the November Shanghai art season, art became a recurring theme throughout these twelve months, attracting an increasingly broad public to artistic events. As artists and artworks engage with society through museum exhibitions, art fair displays and transactions, and auction market fluctuations—forging more numerous direct and indirect connections—a distinctive artistic atmosphere characteristic of our era is gradually taking shape. The relationship between the individual and art is continually being drawn closer, with art museums becoming crucial mediators within this ecosystem. Amidst this return to a dynamic world, the Taikang Art Museum made its debut in Beijing’s CBD at the end of August 2023. Its inaugural exhibition, “Engaging with the World,” employs a unique academic and value-driven perspective to trace the development of Chinese contemporary art.

As the year draws to a close, the Taikang Art Museum is partnering with FTChinese.com and Hi Art—leading media outlets from different fields—to launch its annual finale event: “The First Taikang Art Museum Annual Forum — In Search of Answers from Time.” The forum will convene peers and cross-disciplinary guests for lively dialogues and in-depth discussions, aiming to provide beneficial insights for art enthusiasts. Your presence is eagerly anticipated!

Session I:

Private-Museum Directors’ Session  — Stepping into the 3.0 Era: How Can Private Museums Break the Stalemate?

Limited investment from founders is a key reason for the decline of many private art museums. Beyond relying heavily on support from their “parent” organizations, is it possible for private museums to carve out a relatively independent path? Since the millennium, if we divide time into decades, then 2020 marks the boundary into the 3.0 era for private art museums. As the year draws to a close, we have invited directors of several representative art museums to discuss the new challenges and opportunities compared to the previous two decades. In an era where “change” is the only constant, and amid increasingly fierce competition, what strategies do they have to navigate this landscape?

Session II:

Investors & Collectors — Upholding Long-Termism: Building a Future-Oriented Collection

Collecting not only documents the history of an individual’s or enterprise’s growth but also creates a path that allows everyone to trace the past while simultaneously looking towards the future. In this forum, we will also invite researchers, participants, and observers in the field of art collecting to join us. From a broader and more long-term perspective, we aim to help more friends establish a future-oriented value system for art and assist enthusiasts in developing a personal collection logic that is grounded, inclusive, and cumulative. Using knowledge and practice as our guide and time and accumulation as a positive curve, we look to the future, embracing art as a lifelong companion.