On the night of November 10, a mesmerizing outdoor light and shadow performance at Changyang Campus in Yangpu marked the grand opening of the Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum.

"The show was incredible! It really allowed us to feel the charm of this art museum. We live near Changyang Campus and plan to book a visit in the next couple of days!" exclaimed Ms. Chen, a local resident who enjoyed the spectacle within the innovation park.

The Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum, repurposed from an old parking garage, is nestled within Changyang Campus, a tech hub transformed from the former site of China Textile Machinery Plant. It will open with the exhibition "Staging Dunhuang", bridging the ancient and the contemporary, inviting more people to engage with Dunhuang.

Embarking from history and nature towards the "heart"...

The museum's inaugural exhibition, "Staging Duhuang" commenced on November 11, showcasing the new museum's character through distinctive displays. The term "Staging" originally referred to the interplay of mood and imagery in poetry, here expanded to represent modern artists' responses to Dunhuang's rich historical and cultural legacy, casting Dunhuang not just as a physical entity but also as a cultural symbol.

The exhibition consists of four parts: History, Nature, Reproduction, and Mindscape, mapping out visitors' exploratory journey through Dunhuang. "History" employs artistic projections, multimedia interactive installations, and other modern means to reinterpret and exhibit historical documents and image archives about Dunhuang; "Nature" centers around a scaled-down "Mingsha Mountain", recreating Dunhuang's natural landscapes and geographical features, highlighting the environment's influence on Dunhuang's culture and the interdependence between humanity and nature; "Reproduction" features artifacts such as the Palm-leaf Manuscript and anthropomorphic bird-shaped patterned brick (Qianqiu Wansui), and reproduces portions of iconic Dunhuang murals on the walls; "Mindscape" extracts the spiritual essence of Dunhuang art, projecting it into contemporary art and design.

"In essence, this visit route mirrors the process of gradually getting to know and drawing closer to Dunhuang: starting with historical texts to learn about Dunhuang, then experiencing its natural scenery in person, traversing the desert to closely observe the cliffs and caves of the Mogao Grottoes, and finally, gazing upon the murals to immerse oneself in their spiritual realm," said curator Xu Huanzhi. "By the end of the journey, you'll find yourself much closer to Dunhuang."

To vividly present the "face and soul" of Dunhuang to visitors, "Staging Duhuang" has garnered support from institutions like Dunhuang Museum, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture Library, Harvard's Fine Arts Library, Bibliothèque nationale de France Catalogue Général, and the State Hermitage Museum of Russia. It features works from 20 contemporary artists, offering diverse artistic expressions that make Dunhuang a living concept rather than a distant historical term.

"We've Brought Mingsha Mountain Here"

The centerpiece of the "Staging Duhuang" exhibition is undoubtedly the Mingsha Mountain in the "Nature" section. Positioned at the heart of the exhibition, this installation recreates the essence of Dunhuang's Mingsha Mountain by covering a mountainous base with actual sand from the site, transporting visitors to the very dunes of Dunhuang to experience grass and trees on Mingsha Mountain.

"The sand for this mountain was transported directly from Dunhuang's Mingsha Mountain, weighing over 20 tons, along with local plants like sacsaoul and tumbleweed, all imbued with the authentic spirit of the area," said Xu. "Additionally, one of our artists has recreated an ancient fragrance from Dunhuang's scriptures, which will fill the exhibition space. Our aim is to break through spatial constraints with a powerful sensory experience, allowing visitors to see the mountains of Dunhuang and smell its fragrances, immersing them fully in this environment."

The exhibition also plans to develop derivative activities, transforming the sand from Mingsha Mountain into cultural and creative products. This will enable visitors to take the sand back to Mingsha Mountain, effectively "returning" it to its origins. "It's a concept of circulation, a reciprocal relationship," said Xu.

Furthermore, the exhibition features works such as The Nirvana of Gambiered Canton Gauze, crafted from thousands of pieces of leftover Gambiered Canton Gauze, and the re-embroidered Liangzhou Buddha Image, the largest embroidery piece from the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes' scripture cave that was lost overseas. These pieces add a touch of the exotic Dunhuang culture to the exhibition, unveiling a different facet of its heritage.

Starting from Dunhuang, But Not Limited to Dunhuang

Beyond the "Staging Duhuang" exhibition, from November 11, 2024 to May 31, 2025, "Mingsha", the artist residency research project in Dunhuang, is also on display at the Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum. This exhibition showcases the outcomes of artist Yang Zhenzhong's engagement with the art residency project in Dunhuang, featuring works like the dual-channel video Mingsha, the sound interactive installation Echo, and the art installation Tools. These pieces dissect the relationships between people and history, culture, science and technology, and labor production, provoking new humanistic reflections.

Looking ahead to the future after the inaugural exhibition, the organizer said that while the Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum embarks on a journey from Dunhuang, it does not confine itself to the subject of "Dunhuang" alone. "Our future directions may include continuing the inaugural exhibition's theme, delving deeper into the historical and cultural depths of Dunhuang and examining the human connection to it. Alternatively, we may shift perspectives to present new themes in our exhibitions, continuing our exploration of contemporary art. We aim to think freely and expansively, without setting boundaries for ourselves," said Liu Yingjiu, the executive director of the Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum.

The Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum is open from Monday to Sunday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with the last entry at 5:00 PM. Interested visitors can make reservations and purchase tickets through the official WeChat mini-program "Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum".

Exhibition Schedule

From November 11, 2024 to May 31, 2025, 10:00 AM-6:00 PM (with the last admission at 5:30 PM)

Exhibition Venue:

Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum (3F, South Building, Changyang Campus, 1687 Changyang Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai).

Transportation Routes:

[Subway]

Exit from Exit 2 of Ningguo Road Station on Line 12

[Bus]

Huangxing Road/Changyang Road Station: Buses 137, 538, 842, and 8

Changyang Road/Linqing Road Station: Buses 934 and 22.

Changyang Road/Huangxing Road Station: Buses 843 and 868, Shenchuan Special Line.