It is reported South China Morning Post.
Headquartered in Beijing, the agency was founded in 2007 by the late Belgian collectors Guy and Myriam Ullens and is known for their ambitious exhibitions and the ambitious exhibitions and programming by Philip Tinari. UCCA is now one of the oldest non-profit modern art centers on mainland China.
With the support of private investors, UCCA has also expanded its footprint to three branches in Beidaihe (2018), Shanghai (2021), last year for Yixing.
but South China Morning Several people working at UCCA reportedly “confirmed on anonymity that most UCCA staff did not receive full salaries from January to June and that there has been no event in Shanghai since the exhibition was held with the Saudi Ministry of Culture in June.”
SCMP It also pointed out that UCCA’s Beijing landlords in the 798 Arts District have become more stringent on rent payments, and the agency’s financial challenges have intensified during the country’s economic slowdown due to lower air ticket sales and greater international freight costs.
“UCCA also strives to require payment from international partners for exhibition.” SCMP Report from interviews with insiders.
In an email interview SCMPTinari acknowledged that “it was a tough year for museums throughout China”, noting that “as the consumer economy lasted slower than before, the resources of individual visitors, supporters and sponsors were more cautious than they used to be.”
Tinari also told SCMP UCCA is “actively committed to long-term solutions that will enable us to fund our first-class programs over the long term”.
UCCA’s news follows the closure and cuts of several other private art galleries in China, which raises concerns about the sustainability and prospects of the region’s art market. Among them is the Jupiter Art Museum in Shenzhen that announced its closure in June, followed by Qingdao’s Tag Art Museum. this South China Morning It was also reported that Lanfang’s Ennova Gallery “has been dormant”, as well as others.
Due to two major factors, in the 2010s, private museums in China exploded: developers’ motivations for receiving government subsidies, cheap land or development rights, and an increasing number of wealthy art collectors interested in promoting their collections.
According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, the four-year period between 2016 and 2020 was particularly busy, with the new museum open on average every two days.
But Chinese art galleries are suffering from a crisis after company supporters changed their budgets, with consumers adjusting for discretionary spending and rising operating costs.
Wang Wenyu, curator of the Red Brick Art Museum, also told SCMP In winter, tourists dropped sharply, resulting in difficulties in paying their salaries early this year.
