statement

CPU:798 is a new gallery opening in February 2008 in the hugely popular and ever-evolving Dashanzi 798 Art District in Beijing.

The gallery was begun in late 2007 by an international group of partners working with a view to expand the parameters with which photography is approached and presented in China and the rest of the world today. In so doing the partners are looking to build on existing interest in local and international artists working on the boundaries of this medium and which are not currently being addressed in the China’s art climate. CPU:798 will serve as a catalyst for debate around the issues and personalities involved.

The Name

The initials “CPU” create a number of opportunities for meaning, each letter providing a key which will allow an entry into the gallery spaces. C is for China, C-Print, Camera, etc.; P is for Photograph, Performance, Pop, etc.; U is for Unlimited, Universal, Urban, etc. These mini-definitions are a start towards a statement of the partners’ intentions, but they are also designed to address a variety of audiences, providing many possible inroads into the material on display, at the same time as they redefine the material via the source references.

As well as suggested conceptual routes into the material on show the name of the gallery locates itself geographically. 798 is one of a number of ‘art areas’ in Beijing which have seen an explosion of growth over the past few years, fuelled in large part by the upsurge in interest in the creative industries in China, as well as the changes in the Chinese way of thinking in relation to contemporary art. In tandem with this change contemporary Chinese art has entered the Western art world-stage more or less fully formed and now plays an important role upsetting and offsetting the Western hegemonic viewpoint.

The Space

CPU:798 exists as a physical gallery space in Beijing but equally as an online space.

The physical gallery will concentrate on paper-based media but aims to extend its remit beyond static photography to cover interventions by all aspects of new media and it’s practitioners. In addition to the exhibition space there will be an adjoining computer room where further research can take place within the Gallery’s collection and beyond into less tangible materials.

The online Gallery will add to and expand on the works on show in the physical Gallery providing a complementary space with the addition of a certain level of interactivity creating a new perspective on the assets.

Curation

CPU:798 is designed to provide a forum for up and coming artists and curators, to investigate novel approaches to the presentation of art. The number of shows per year will be limited to allow the participants the time and space to create in-depth presentations of their ideas. CPU:798 will primarily focus on solo exhibitions in order to present a study of the artist or curator and their developing practice through a concentrated selection of works.

Discussions

The Gallery will provide an environment for artists to come together and create a locus for discussion and dialogue. Artists and critics will be drawn together for talks on subjects related to the works on show and their curatorial context.

Publications

A series of Journals will feed from and into the work of the gallery, relating to the work on display as well as broadening the scope into wider issues.

Sales

Strictly limited editions will be produced for sale. Native English and Chinese speakers are available to guide visitors through the physical gallery and the online areas. Sales are by appointment only. Please contact us for more details and to arrange a visit.

Contacts

Edward Sanderson
cpu798.com