Image: Stanley Chow and Heart of Manchester BID

This Chinese New Year, the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art will celebrate its 30 year anniversary in Manchester with a high profile exhibition programme spanning 6 months featuring some of the very best Chinese contemporary artists of today. The programme launches on Thursday 4 February with exhibitions by internationally acclaimed artist Xu Bing, the RareKind China international graffiti art project, Manchester legend Stanley Chow and the enigmatic artist Lu Xinjian.

The 30 year anniversary celebration coincides with Manchester’s Chinese New Year celebrations as we enter the “year of the monkey”. Led by Heart of Manchester BID the city’s four day celebrations include a giant inflatable dragon, parkour monkey runners, a table tennis competition sponsored by Tsingtao beer as well as the trademark red Chinese lantern.

The city’s festivities will include a live Street Art exhibition in Exchange Square and along New Cathedral Street. Hong Kong based graffiti artists Rainbo (China Graffiti Girls) and Uncle (Afterworkshop) will reflect the story of Chinese New Year in Manchester.

Starting with Xu Bing (2015 headline artist of Venice Biennale’s China Pavillion), CFCCA will feature a different high-profile artist each month including Cao Fei, Tsang Kin-Wah, Lee Mingwei and susan pui san lok.

Xu Bing’s exhibition presents his ongoing project Book from The Ground. An artist fascinated with language and communication, Xu Bing’s project presents a novel seven years in the making written in a “language of icons”. Telling the story of 24 hours in the life of office worker Mr Black, the book has no text, instead using logos, emoticons and pictograms. In Gallery 1 we recreate Xu Bing’s studio where he devised a universal language designed to be understood across the world. Xu Bing was also the first artist to exhibit in CFCCA’s current building in 2003.

CFCCA’s Current Director Zoe Dunbar says:

“It feels an honour to be at the helm of this organisation during such an important milestone. CFCCA has been leading the UK in exploring a changing international dynamic through cultural exchange as we enter what is being acknowledged as the Chinese Century. Our 30 year anniversary programme is ambitious and really brings together the very best parts of our history, including the artists and people who have contributed to our legacy.”