26 Key Words about He Art Museum

As the gentle spring breeze enters one’s mind, a thousand days have swiftly gone by.

This is an adventure without a predetermined path.

It’s been a thousand days. As an art museum located on the outskirts of the art scene, He Art Museum (HEM) embraces a timeless idealism - the popularization and dissemination of the diverse forms and concepts of art.

The architecture grown out of the southern cultural context and the collection of art mark the beginning. The exhibitions with thought-provoking narratives and enriching experiences constitute the process. The echoes and sparks generated by over a million visitors in the past three years are a fortunate reward.

Architecture

With its foundation laid in October 2014 and construction started in 2016, HEM designed by Tadao Ando incorporates the historical traditions of Lingnan architecture. The central double-helix staircase by slick concrete spirals down, connecting five floors and creating a unique viewer experience.

Birth

With meticulous planning, rigorous experimentation, and unwavering determination, we had our soft opening on October 1, 2020.

Collection

HEM collection focuses on the culture and arts in modern and contemporary period with an international vision. By rooting in historical and local context, extensively researching on the varied artistic phenomenon as well as the ideologies behind, we hope to create a new path to construct a unique characteristic of our own extending from local experience to globe.

Dome

The light pouring through the skylight in the core-tube wanders amidst the double-helix staircase. It creates a reminiscent ambiance of the Pantheon in Rome, where viewers enjoy the mesmerizing interplay of light.

Eliasson

Stay tuned for the coming Olafur Eliasson's installation :)

Foundation

Rooting in local areas, maintaining regional characteristics, and giving back to the community are the foundation of HEM.

Galleries

HEM has five galleries spanning a total area of approximately 8,000 square meters. With curved circulation paths and ample natural lighting, each exhibition space is meticulously designed to provide a fresh perspective for artwork presentation.

Harmonious

The “He” in He Art Museum represents both "harmony" and "integration," as we strive to integrate art spaces with public spaces and merge the realms of reality and history.

Inspiration

As an extension of the exhibitions, HEM's public program HEM Inspiration aims

to create a boundless artistic community. By incorporating public educational spaces into exhibitions and exploring activities such as residencies, lectures, and forums, we seek to realize diverse possibilities to engage the audience.

Juxtaposition

The architectural space of HEM combines individuality with the spirit of Lingnan culture, encompassing simplicity and complexity, tranquility and vibrancy, centripetal force and diverging force. In abstract terms, it creates a harmonious space through the interplay of overlapping geometries, balancing the dynamic and the serene.

Kinetic Sculpture

HEM’s permanent collection includes the kinetic sculpture Crag with Yellow Boomerang and Red Eggplant by Alexander Calder, one of the important innovators in the 20th-century sculpture realm. The kinetic sculpture combines three forms of Calder’s artistic creations: stabiles, hanging mobiles, and standing mobiles.

Light

As the sun ascends, the mist dissipates,

I gaze intently, is today a sunny day?

Modern Chinese Art

Gallery 4 is based on HEM’s collection of modern and contemporary Chinese art, dedicated to reexamining the artistic trends and historical development along the southern coastal regions. This focus is determined by HEM's regional attributes and cultural foundation.

Neighborly

In addition to galleries, HEM has placed several sculptures in public areas. Under HEM’s architectural atmosphere, these sculptures blend and interact with the environment, actively engaging with the surrounding community and providing visitors with a fresh urban walking experience as well as visual enjoyment.

ON-OFF

Carousel of Progress

Picasso

In the first art-centric exhibition, Tadao Ando breaks, deconstructs, and reassembles HEM's fluid architectural space to create multiple exhibition spaces with cubist characteristics, aiming to resonate with Picasso's large-scale painting Homme Et Femme displayed in the show.

Quotidian

Follow HEM WeChat to explore our daily routine.

Restoration and conservation

The research and restoration center is located on the fourth floor. For collection artworks that have experienced physical deformations due to old age, dampness, or accidental damage, the restoration team at HEM will analyze them and develop plans to perform the necessary restoration.

Store

HEM Store selects both popular and exclusive art and design publications and merchandise. Additionally, the shop stimulates artistic inspiration in daily life by establishing limited pop-up stores in cities nationwide and collaborating with cross-brand partnerships.

Team

The HEM team consists of over 30 members, divided into three main departments: content production, market development, and operations management. C serves as the core module, responsible for curatorial research, public programs, collection restoration, publishing, visual design, etc.

HEM is dedicated to creating a distinct curatorial brand. The curators at HEM use their professional knowledge, understanding of the architectural space, and creative mindsets to fully present the artistic value of the exhibitions. HEM is a curator and, more importantly, an interpreter with independent consciousness.

Utopia

Anne d'Harnoncourt:

“Art museums are essentially utopias. At their inception, museums were driven by the idealistic aspirations to bring art to the public and enhance citizens' lives through artistic exploration. The founding manifestos of the British Museum and the National Gallery in London serve as vivid examples. Early on, there were also economic and trade considerations, as museums were believed to contribute positively to various aspects of the city.”

Variety

Through continuous exhibitions and activities, HEM brings together diverse cultures that have thrived for thousands of years in southern China, including regional customs, culinary specialties, climate conditions, and landscape culture. HEM is transformed into a vibrant hub, awakening the aesthetic consciousness of the public.

Water

The architectural design incorporates "circles," which radiate from the center like ripples in water, forming the foundation of the architectural space and naturally becoming the core of the architectural form. The pond, in harmony with the "circles," reflects the architecture on its surface and serves as a hydrophilic feature to alleviate the sweltering summer heat of the subtropical region.

Xu Beihong

In March 2022, the exhibition From Details to Greatness centered around Xu Beihong’s Woman by the Window After Rembrandt, aiming to unfold the story behind the painting that reflects the changing times and personal destiny.

Yummy

In March 2023, the first restaurant designed by Tadao Ando in China opened at HEM. Nestled by the eastern garden pond of the museum and lying calmly amidst the subtropical light, the restaurant continues the narrative of Lingnan culture and initiates a dialogue between art, cuisine, and everyday life.

Zealous

Beneath every no lays a passion for yes that had never been broken.

-- Wallace Stevens