Beijing Inside-Out Art Museum Unveils Summer Exhibitions for 2025

The Beijing Inside-Out Art Museum has announced its summer exhibitions scheduled from June 14 to October 19, 2025, featuring three distinct showcases that explore experimental artistic practices at the fringes of contemporary discourse. Each exhibition scrutinizes urgent themes through historical and reflective lenses, aiming to challenge conventional boundaries in art and society.

The first exhibition, titled "Life Rehearsals," is curated by Na Rongkun and directed by Li Mu and Carol Yinghua Lu. It aims to trace the cognitive history of autism diagnosis and care throughout the 20th century, presenting commissioned works by neurodivergent artists alongside responses from various international art groups. The exhibition emphasizes the social challenges faced by individuals with autism and the psychological dynamics experienced by their caregivers. It seeks to interrogate the shifting constructs of normality and abnormality in social contexts, reaffirming the dignity inherent in diverse modes of existence.

According to Dr. Lisa Chen, a noted psychologist and researcher on autism at Peking University, "This exhibition is crucial as it not only highlights the creative expressions of neurodivergent individuals but also urges society to reconsider its definitions of normality and acceptance" (Chen, 2023).

The second exhibition, "Beauty Is Here: The Free World of Zhao Wenliang and Yang Yushu," focuses on the artistic contributions of founding members of the No Name Group, Zhao Wenliang and Yang Yushu, showcasing their works from 1970 to 1982. This retrospective celebrates the artists' commitment to expressing their authentic selves despite the socio-political challenges of their time. Curator Carol Yinghua Lu emphasizes that this narrative is pivotal in understanding the evolution of contemporary Chinese art, stating, "Zhao and Yang's works reflect a profound quest for freedom through artistic expression, capturing the essence of their era" (Lu, 2023).

The third exhibition, "A Technique of Occupying Space: Seewon Hyun’s Floor Plan Cabinet," will run from June 22 to October 19, 2025, and is curated by Dain Oh. This exhibition explores the innovative curatorial practices of Seewon Hyun, particularly her 2017 project that utilized floor plans as both a conceptual and spatial tool. Hyun's work challenges traditional exhibition formats by emphasizing efficiency and resourcefulness, embodying a distinctive aesthetic that bridges art and design.

"The integration of design within the curatorial practice not only enhances the spatial experience of an exhibition but also addresses practical constraints, which is increasingly relevant in today’s art world," explained Dr. Michael Wang, an art historian at Tsinghua University, in reference to Hyun's methodologies (Wang, 2023).

The Beijing Inside-Out Art Museum has a long-standing commitment to supporting artistic practices within the autism community through initiatives like its "Autistic or Artistic" series. This upcoming summer program continues this trajectory, aiming to expand public engagement with neurodiversity in creative contexts.

The exhibitions will be open to the public from Wednesday to Friday, 11 AM to 6 PM, and Saturday to Sunday, 10 AM to 6 PM, at the museum located at 50 Xingshikou Rd, Haidian District, Beijing. As the art world increasingly recognizes the importance of diverse narratives and practices, these exhibitions promise to provide significant insights into the intersection of art, society, and identity in contemporary China. The Beijing Inside-Out Art Museum invites art enthusiasts and the general public to engage with these thought-provoking showcases that challenge the status quo and encourage new ways of understanding and appreciating art in the modern world.

For further information, visit the museum's official website at www.ioam.org.cn or follow them on social media platforms.