Photo: Courtesy of Ke Yi

The 2023 Beijing Contemporary Art Expo is scheduled to kick off on April 28 at the Capital's National Agricultural Exhibition Center, according to a recent press conference.

Aiming to show China's revived contemporary art scene now that it has shaken off the fatigue brought by COVID-19, the 2023 show is set to be the largest since the event was firstly launched in 2018. 

The Beijing Art Expo is a four-day gala hosting 154 exhibitors. A total of 97 galleries will be offering diverse art pieces. 

The artworks will cover various mediums such as digital art, contemporary ink painting, classic Chinese art and AI and VR art productions. 

Gallerist Qu Qiuzi told the Global Times that "full coverage of diverse art themes" is a "must" in evaluating a good art expo. 

The art expo will have several individually designed sections. One called the "Special Arts Programs" will involve nine cultural organizations specializing in areas such as public art, intangible cultural heritage, algorithm technology and AI training.

Qu said that the sector represents the current "crossover" and "technology-oriented" trends growing in the world's contemporary art field. 

"Contemporary art is often closely linked to social changes. Topics like 'ChatGPT' and 'Metaverse' have already become a focus for artists around the world," Qu noted. 

Speaking of the intangible cultural heritage sector, cultural sociologist Chu Xin told the Global Times that China's rich historical folk culture can also provide "indigenous art perspectives" to Chinese contemporary artists. 

The theme of the 2023 gala is Reunion, said Bao Dong, art director of the event, noting that from this year on both the Beijing Contemporary Art Expo and Beijing Design Week will start a "partnership" to promote exchanges between the art and design industries. 

Beijing is regarded as one of the major "melting pots" of China's art resources.

"Having a well-established large-scale art fair has become a 'standard setting' for mega cities like Beijing. The Art Basel in Hong Kong is another example," Qu noted.