Beijing Galleries are too numerous––and some too fleeting––to include a comprehensive listings here. The following are a list of recommendations–galleries showing contemporary art with consistent quality, artists to watch, or just plain interesting. This guide is only meant to introduce the best galleries showing primarily Chinese art, and from a more native perspective.

For complete listings, telephones and maps, consult each galleries home page, for a more complete list, please see the Artforum guide for Beijing galleries.

798 七九八

Beijing Commune 北京公社
This “small” space under the artistic direction of Mr. Leng Lin, now the president of the Pace Gallery Beijing is turning its sights to lesser-known faces in the art world. Perhaps due to its low-key door, the BJ Commune might be one of the most overlooked spaces in 798 (by casual tourists).

Beijing-Tokyo Gallery 东京画廊
Beijing’s first gallery, the Beijing Tokyo Art Projects, shows a blend of artists from Japan and China. Shows a range from architectural documents to installation and strange performance art. Worth a visit.

Iberia Center for Contemporary Art 伊比利亚当代艺术中心
Another art space that transcends the function of gallery, but is not quite a museum––Iberia has a mission to promote contemporary art (especially from China, but with support from the Spanish Art and Culture Foundation). Their enormous space, and hyper-modern brick exterior house thought out exhibitions by a team of young Chinese curators with an academic focus. Don’t miss Iberia, tucked in the Southwest corner of 798.

Long March Space 长征空间
The Long March Space straddles a place somewhere between non-profit arts institution, commercial gallery, and museum. Look for socially conscious programming, artists on the vanguard, and shows that push the limits; look out also for the Long March’s ongoing project to transmit Chinese contemporary art across the world–an ambitious mission befitting such a loaded title.

Star Gallery 星空间
China’s young artists in a heaven of their own. Star Gallery deals with exclusively “Post 70s” artists, see mostly easel art from emerging artists in the Chinese art world.

Tang Contemporary 唐人画廊
One of the largest exhibition spaces in China with enormous budgets in this enormous space, which manages to pull in some of the biggest artist names in China.

Ullens Center for Contemporary Art 尤伦斯当代艺术中心 (UCCA)
No, its not the best place to see art in Beijing, but the space is impressive. The UCCA is not quite a museum, but has a strong staff of international art world professionals that make it much more than a gallery. The UCCA hosts various artist lectures, film screenings, awards, and the art/fashion world jet set. This space has been plagued with budget problems, and commercial shows more frequently grace their walls, proving that even foreign owned “museums” are susceptible to localization.

Boers-Li Gallery Boers-Li 画廊
Hiding behind the giant water cooler, and adjacent to the new Yi House boutique hotel on the north-east frontier of 798 Boers-Li gallery (formerly Universal Studios) is operated by international team Pi Li,  hailing from the Art Management department at CAFA, and Dutch-born Waling Boers, curator and founding Director of BüroFriedrich-Berlin. Boers-Li works with primarily Chinese artists, and is known for some spectacular installation and video art.

草场地 Caochangdi

China Art and Archives Warehouse 艺术文献仓库
If you can find it, you’ve earned it. When this first gallery to Caochangdi planted themselves in the “middle of nowhere” the art world marveled, then everyone drew in close to what has become the new center. Find it down the road from Three Shadows Photography Center. Ai Weiwei is art director, shows reflect his minimalist and loose mix of conceptual and experimental works.

Galerie Meile 麦勒画廊
Situated in an enormous, freestanding grey-brick courtyard also designed by Ai Weiwei, whom it represents, Galerie Meile has built a reputation for bringing high quality Chinese artists to Europe and fostering their work at home and abroad. Their rigorous international residency program also brings interesting European artists to Beijing, the courtyard is a peaceful, beautiful affair.

Pekin Fine Arts 北京艺门
The gallery of Beijing’s dynamic dealer and Chinese art world maven Meg Maggio, who first worked at the Courtyard Gallery. Pekin Fine Arts has increasingly been hosting curated shows with experimental or academic premises, their works are deftly installed, and it is also a place to find Japanese and Korean artists.

Platform China 站台中国
Dominating the “East End Arts” complex across from Three Shadows, Platform China is spread across two enormous exhibition spaces. Indeed a platform for young artists, experimental, conceptual and especially video art, Platform China is a leader in contemporary art, and has a rigorous complete program including residencies and publications.

Three Shadows Photography 三影堂
This non-profit center for the advancement of photography realized the long-term dream of its founders, photographer Rong Rong (of early East Village fame) and his Japanese artist wife, Inri. Also a FAKE Studio (Ai Weiwei’s atelier) production, the space is designed specifically with the purpose of displaying and viewing photography: low ceilings and tunneling hallways channel viewers through shows and out the other, where a small cafe and bookshop awaits. The compound encloses a courtyard that plays host to public screenings and concerts, there is a photography library and archive, as well as an artist residency program.

Other Beijing Locations

Today Art Gallery 今日美术馆
The Today Art Gallery has had private museum status for many years when, two years ago it consolidated two locations into one enormous museum in the Pingod District just south of the CBD district in central Beijing. While the space seems as large as their budget, the lack of curator diversity sometimes reflects in the lack of interesting shows.

Arrow Factory 箭厂空间
It’s not a gallery, but this storefront gallery is a great spot to see grassroots art community and experimental art in Beijing. Find it buried in the Jianchang Hutong, just west of the Confucius Temple, Arrow Factory is always worth a stop.