New art center revives GBA culture

An aerial view of the Bai’etan Greater Bay Area Art Center in Guangzhou. Xinhua

The vibrant city of Guangzhou welcomed a new beacon of culture with the official opening of the Bai’etan Greater Bay Area Art Center on May 1. Nestled in Liwan District, this architectural masterpiece stands as a testament to the rich heritage and artistic splendor of the region.

Designed in the shape of a massive ship, the art center melds seamlessly with its surroundings, housing the Guangdong Museum of Art, the Guangdong Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum, and the Guangdong Literature Museum under one grand roof.

Stretching an impressive 360 meters in length and soaring to a height of 78.5 meters, the center spans approximately 145,000 square meters, with over 40,000 square meters dedicated to exhibitions and 35,000 square meters for communal spaces.

“The Greater Bay Area Art Center is a significant, emblematic public cultural facility of an international standard that displays Guangdong’s characteristics,” said He Jingtang, the project’s chief designer and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

It also serves as an important platform to showcase the achievements of the Lingnan culture in South China, promote the construction of a cultural bay area, and advance exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations, according to He.

The Bai’etan division of the Guangdong Museum of Art boasts 21 exhibition halls and extensive public art areas. It is hosting the largest series of exhibitions to date, based on the nearly 30 years of the museum’s collections, incorporating classic collections from institutions such as the National Art Museum of China and the National Museum of China.

Works by over 700 masters including Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong, Lin Fengmian, Guan Shanyue, and Li Xiongcai, totaling nearly 1,000 pieces, are on display, showcasing classic Chinese art, especially from different historical periods of Guangdong art.

The Guangdong Museum of Art also caters to an international audience with an exhibition displaying 55 authentic works by artistic luminaries such as Raphael, Rubens, and Titian.

The Guangdong Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum showcases national and provincial intangible heritage projects alongside initiatives for their preservation and dissemination.

Within the Guangdong Literature Museum are sections dedicated to literary achievements, works display areas, and an international literature exchange center. Of particular interest is the “Lu Xun’s Home” exhibition hall, featuring detailed miniatures of the items used by Chinese literati Lu Xun and his wife Xu Guangping.

Emphasizing regional, cultural, and contemporary themes, the art center’s exhibitions integrate Lingnan culture with modern technology, offering experiences such as AI storytelling in the intangible heritage museum, naked-eye 3D videos, immersive digital displays, and contemporary art experiments, showcasing the amalgamation of culture and digital innovation.