Utopia/Heterotopia:Wuzhen International Contemporary Art Exhibition

by+Nancy+Gong

When it opened on March 27， 2016， Utopia/Heterotopia： Wuzhen International Contemporary Art Exhibition unveiled a total of 130 works across 55 series by 40 outstanding artists from countries around the world， in a wide range of media such as installation， performance， sculpture， sound， video， and animation in the West Scenic District and the North Silk Factory.

The North Silk Factory， the major exhibition area， is a refurbished workshop of an abandoned silk factory in Wuzhen， testifying to the dramatic changes in Chinese water towns during the last half of the 20th Century. The factory location features works by 34 artists.

The West Scenic District is iconic of ancient water regions in southern China. It presents public art by seven artists， characterized by immense size and visual tension.

Of the 40 participating artists， 13 submitted completely new proposals specifically for the exhibition， of whom eight hailing from foreign countries commissioned local workers to assemble site-specific works， bridging international art and the ancient water town of Wuzhen.

“Everyone has a utopian dream， which became our driving force to make a difference，” illustrates Feng Boyi， chief curator of the exhibition. “We never get bored with this theme despite the fact that you will see heterotopian changes to the utopian approach. This exhibition is about our utopian visions as well as our heterotopian realization.”

Wuzhens history can be traced back at least 1，300 years. Over the last few decades， however， it has transformed into a multi-faceted modern township while protecting its historical and cultural legacies. Since 2013 when its first international theater festival was launched， Wuzhen has broadened its international horizon with large-scale international cultural exchange activities. In 2014， Wuzhen successfully hosted the first World Internet Conference， and has since been named the permanent venue for the event， solidifying its reputation as an internationally advanced， modernized town over the past 10-plus years.

Today， Wuzhen has emerged as an economic， political， social， and cultural hub， especially as a unique space and environment affording communication between modern artists from around the planet.

The exhibition runs until June 26， 2016. For its duration， Wuzhen will provide various free public education campaigns as well as regular professional tour guide services.