UCCA Store, Beijing. An inside-out museum experience

Split into two floors, the ground floor of the UCCA Store is dedicated to the merchandising, but also to the limited-edition artworks that let visitors bring a piece of art directly home

One of China’s first private museums

In a former military factory complex 50 years old, originally named the Dashanzi factory, is the art district. The factory was built in the fifties and designed by East German architects of the Dessau Design Institute. The buildings twist and turn within the alleys of the complex known as 718 Joint Factory. They lead to the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, home to the UCCA Store.

The UCCA Center for Contemporary Art is located in one of the largest buildings in the complex. The spaces were fully renovated by Jean-Michel Wilmotte and Quingyun Ma in 2007 and underwent further regeneration designed by OMA and completed in 2019. The museum was one of China’s first private contemporary art museums, founded in 2007, to bring Chinese art into global dialogue.

The reconstruction and renovation seek to give the internationally renowned institution a public image and visual identity. To connect with the public, the renovation features a curvilinear glass facade, wrapping around the UCCA store, entrance and café on the ground floor.

An inside-out experience at the UCCA Store

In this panorama the UCCA Store tries to bring distinct, cutting–edge objects into people’s lives. Surrounded by a glass wall, it offers visibility even from the outside, to the range of activities that happen inside. This includes events such as celebrity books clubs, branding events and artistic workshops. An inside-out experience that doesn’t only stay inside the museum’s venue.

The UCCA Store is part of the museum experience. It sells merchandise inspired by exhibitions and celebrates art through products. On the ground floor, there is merchandising, as well as limited-edition artworks that the visitors can take home with them.

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The store is divided into four main themes. The exhibition merchandise is based on the museum’s exhibitions and celebrating their art through posters, notebooks and clothing. The limited-edition artworks are authorized and signed by the artist, in a limited number, packaged and come with a stamped certificate.

The UCCA Store is one of the first museum stores in China making limited edition artworks supported by the artists. This kind of products brings contemporary art closer to its audience, spreading art from the exhibition program to a tangible work for art for everybody, becoming an experience for old and new collectors. The bookstore, on the second floor of the store, works together with leading Chinese publisher and other industry professionals to curate a selection of books for curious readers.

Bringing the art home

At the UCCA Store there are exhibition’s catalogs produced by UCCA, starting from  bilingual catalogs for international readers. The books in the store are divided into three categories: exhibitions catalogs, art and design books and a selection of lifestyle publications. The care on publications displayed wants to give, to the readers, a new way to see things and a creative and open ambiance to enjoy new books and ideas. Also, another part of the store is dedicated to global design where is located in a range of European and rising Chinese studios products. The selection includes home-ware, accessories and other products from international suppliers including Seletti and Freitag, along with Chinese brand as BLANK SCHOOL, Hard Candy and Yang House.

Therefore, in the last few years, China has discovered major attention for contemporary art. Galleries like UCCA Center of Contemporary Art are crucial for the fruition and understanding of this kind of artistic production. Cultural venues like UCCA Store let anybody, for different age and income, bring home a real artwork, supporting a new generation of collectors and art lovers.