Newman Huo

WHAT kind of museum of contemporary art does Shenzhen really need? City residents can assess some possibilities put forward by architects from within China and abroad, which are currently on display at Shenzhen Citizens’ Center in Futian District.

The exhibition showcases 168 design plans for the Museum of Contemporary Art and Planning Exhibition (MOCAPE), which will be built next year in the new city center in Futian District.

A part of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Biennale of Urbanism and Architecture, the exhibition will run until Sept. 9.

The design plans on display were entered by architects from around the world for a competition to select the design of the MOCAPE, organized by the Shenzhen Municipal Culture Bureau (SMCB) and Shenzhen Municipal Planning Bureau (SMPB) from April to June this year.

The organizers received a total of 178 design plans for the MOCAPE. About 80 percent of the entries were from the United States, Germany, Italy, Japan, Ireland, Serbia, Britain, Germany, Austria, Canada and Vietnam. The rest were submitted by Chinese architects, including 10 plans by Shenzhen architects.

A group of 10 jury members, led by internationally acclaimed Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, appraised all entry works in July, and discarded 10 plans which were not up to standard. They also shortlisted four design plans from Britain, Germany, Austria and Canada, from which the final design will be chosen.

The four design plans numbered 131, 226, 232 and 275 are part of the exhibition. None of the works have been identified by name or organization so as to give the public the chance to pick their own favorites.

He Chengjun, an architecture critic with the SMPB, said he regarded the exhibition of design plans as “a visual feast of architecture forms.”

“All entry plans are full of passion as well as imagination, and reflect the mainstream of architecture design around the world today,” He said.

Instead of sticking to any particular style, such as classicalism, modernism or eclecticism, most of the entries have been based on practical factors such as environment, location, function and technology, He said.

Huang Weiwen, deputy director of the urban and architecture design department of the SMPB, said he believed designing the MOCAPE would be a big challenge for architects from all over the world.

“All participating architects are actually required to dance with a chain because the architecture style of the MOCAPE, located at a specific site in the new city center, must accord with the three existing cultural facilities, including the Shenzhen Concert Hall, Shenzhen Library and Shenzhen Children’s Palace,” said Huang, who was on the jury.

Located east of the Central Book City and south of the Shenzhen Children’s Palace, the MOCAPE will be the last major building project in the new city center in Futian District.

According to the overall design plan of the new city center, the MOCAPE, and the Shenzhen Concert Hall, Shenzhen Library and Shenzhen Children’s Palace, will form a courtyard-shaped form with the Central Book City at its center.

The MOCAPE will combine two museums, the museum of contemporary art and museum of urban planning.

“Many people believe the two museums are not compatible with each other and can’t understand why they will be put together into one building,” Huang said.

“By doing this, we are actually enlarging the concept of contemporary art, because we believe we can regard urban planning as part of contemporary art,” he said.

“When contemporary art and urban planning are put together, we expect many new, exciting things will be born out of their interaction,” he added.

According to Wang Xiaoming, curator of Guan Shanyue Art Museum, the museum of contemporary art will be the first of its kind in China.

“The construction of the MOCAPE will be a totally new research topic for us, and we’re planning to organize some experts from the SMCB and SMPB to visit similar museums abroad in the near future and borrow their experiences in the arrangement of exhibition halls, warehouse and workshops for the museum of contemporary art,” said Wang, who was also a member of the jury.

The MOCAPE will also work with one or two museums of contemporary art abroad to exhibit their collections in the city’s new museum, according to Wang.

“With various kinds of contemporary art developing very rapidly in Shenzhen and in China, the MOCAPE will mainly focus on collecting works in contemporary ink painting and contemporary design art after it is put into operation,” Wang said.

The final design plan for the MOCAPE will be determined this October from the four design plans chosen by the jury. Construction is expected to start early next year.