Clik here to view.
The works of pioneering artists Lubaina Himid and Anicka Yi are currently on display at 798 Art District's UCCA Center for Contemporary Art. At first eemingly contradictory in persepctive (with Himid focused on remembering, honoring, and recontextualizing the past while Yi pushes hungrily towards the future and new ways of being), the ultimately complementary artistic focuses of Himid and Yi, in works presented seperately yet alongside each, open and engage in a necessary conversation about the nature of history, being and change.
“Lubaina Himid” – Lubaina Himid
Lubaina Himid, born in Zanzibar, Tanzania, in 1954, is a British artist whose career spans more than four decades. Her work explores, among other themes, marginalization, resilience, personal histories, identity, recentering the African diaspora, and the legacy of British colonialism. She was a key figure in the British Black Arts Movement of the 1980s, and in 2017 she became the first Black woman to win the prestigious Turner Prize. This is her first solo show in China.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
“Lubaina Himid” is a collection of 19 groups of works providing a comprehensive reflection of, or introduction to, Himid’s career from the 1980s to the present day. There are a number of important pieces on display, including A Fashionable Marriage (1986), Naming the Money (2004), the Plan B series, Swallow Hard: The Lancaster Dinner Service (2007), and Blue Grid Test (2020).
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Himid’s characteristic painting style, bold colors, unconventional and multidimensional presentations, use of found objects and sound work to create multi-layered storytelling that engages the audience directly in a conversation around the global Black experience and presents a forceful challenge to received, dominant historical narratives.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
"Lubaina Himid" at UCCA runs until Apr 27.
“There Exists Another Evolution, But In This One” – Anicka Yi
Born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1971, Anicka Yi is a New York-based Korean American artist who has emerged as one of today’s most experimental and provocative creatives. Her practice fuses scientific research, biology, and technology with a deep interest in cosmology, spirituality, and biography, resulting in a body of work that defies conventional boundaries.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Yi's works collapse time, blending cutting-edge technology with primordial life forms to question evolution, identity, and belonging, and many of her installations, which range from microbial cultures blooming in petri dishes to AI-generated floating amoebas, explore the blurred lines between human, animal, plant, and machine, engaging viewers in what she calls a “biopolitics of the senses.”
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Yi’s art is inherently political, often reflecting anxieties around contagion, cleanliness, and immigration while fostering dialogue between science and creativity. Her installations, such as tempura-battered blooms in mylar balloons or biologized machines inspired by 500-million-year-old zooplankton, activate vivid, fictional scenarios that resonate with contemporary issues.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
"There Exists Another Evolution, But In This One" at UCCA runs until Jun 15.
Visiting the Exhibitions
Tickets are RMB 100 each. One ticket grants entry to both exhibitions; however each ticket is only good for one day/entry, so it is strongly suggested to see both exhibitions at the same time. The venue estimates that both exhibitions can be seen in around 45 minutes total. I made it through in about 1.5 hours.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
If you are unfamiliar with UCCA’s layout, be advised that the Lubaina Himid exhibition is contained in the smaller West, New, and Central galleries (the exhibition begins with the West Gallery), and the Anicka Yi exhibition is located in the Great Hall, behind the first three galleries. The entrance to the Anicka Yi exhibition is located in the passageway between the last two galleries of the Lubaina Himid exhibition; if you begin your visit with Lubaina Himid, you will have to circle back around to the start, turn left, and then head straight to enter the Anicka Yi exhibition.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
UCCA 尤伦斯当代艺术中心
798 Dashanzi Art District, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区酒仙桥路4号大山子艺术区
Hours: Daily, 10am-7pm
READ: 100 Days of Theater: 2025 NCPA International Theater Festival
Images: Abigail Weathers, Kasia Bobula, Lorenzo Palmieri, UCCA