Cao Zhen caozhen0806@126.com Artist Is Present, a new cultural venue blending exhibitions and art studios, opened at OCT-LOFT on Dec. 22 with a grand contemporary art exhibition, a lecture, a documentary screening and a one-hour piece of performance art. The exhibition is free to enter and showcases eye-catching paintings, sculptures and installations created by young Chinese artists and Portugal artist Catarina Braga. The 1,100-square-meter venue includes nine studios for artists, a gallery, a multimedia room and a salon. In the future, the “Artist Is Present” project, initiated by Yiji Culture, will invite artists from around the world to move into the studios, so visitors can witness the entire creative process and see their completed works in the gallery. “In a traditional gallery or art museum, visitors are limited to viewing finished works or artists’ manuscripts. By inviting visitors to watch the artists create in our studios, visitors can better understand the inspiration behind the works and ideas of the artists,” said Tian Lang, chief producer of the project. According to Tian, “Artist Is Present” is named after Serbian performance artist Marina Abramovic’s “The Artist Is Present” exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 2010. By inviting visitors to take turns sitting opposite the immobile Abramovic during the 75-day run of the exhibition, the performance art endeavored to transmit the presence of the artist and make her historical performances accessible to a larger audience. “By integrating art studios into a gallery, the ‘Artist Is Present’ project aims to build a shared art community for creation, communication, education and exhibition, making art more aesthetic, down-to-earth and truly enter public life,” said Tian. Dates: Until Jan. 21, 2019 (closed Jan. 1) Hours: 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (closed Mondays except Dec. 31) Venue: Artist Is Present, Block E3, South Area, OCT-LOFT, Nanshan District (南山区华侨城创意文化园南区E3栋艺术在场) Metro: Line 1 to Qiaocheng East Station (侨城东站), Exit A | 