China-UK Museum Dialogues spark ideas for further collaborations

Tate UK's Marko Daniel chaired the academic themed discussion titled "The Role of Artists and Audiences" at UCCA in Beijing's 798 Art Zone on Nov 4, 2015. [Photo by Nick Bedard/chinadaily.com.cn]

Great hosts

The guest speakers from the UK gave high praise to the hosting institutions of the four-day event. Marko Daniel, chair of the UK-China 2015 Museum Dialogues, says China has been a great host for their project, especially the institutions that opened their doors for them.

"All of the participants from the Chinese institutions that joined this project were tremendous. We were really struck by the way the museum professionals took time out of their busy schedule and spent four days participating in these conversations. We are really excited at the possibility of bringing about future projects and the relationships between individuals and institutions both in the UK and in China. "

May Xue, CEO of UCCA, feels delighted that her UK counterparts could experience such intellectual dialogues here in China.

"Hosting such a renowned international institution such as Tate is a real honor for us. When we were approached to do this we immediately accepted. It was great to see so many local Chinese art enthusiasts in our audience today so that they can learn from this event," said Xue.

"For UCCA, the dialogue doesn't end here, we are going to make it our personal mission to use these contacts to bring forward new ideas and new solutions to art institutions in China. For example, with China's growing digital market, we plan on inviting Jesse (Ringham) back for a public talk on how to master the craft in the art world. They came as our guest, and now they are leaving as our friends."