{"id":254894,"date":"2025-05-02T13:30:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T17:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/?post_type=id_news&p=254894"},"modified":"2025-05-02T13:30:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T17:30:13","slug":"simple-art-museum-design-in-hefei-china","status":"publish","type":"id_news","link":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/designwire\/simple-art-museum-design-in-hefei-china\/","title":{"rendered":"The Simple Art Museum In China Nods To The Nanfei River"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Photography courtesy of Jenchieh Hung + Kulthida Songkittipakdee\/Has Design and Research.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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May 2, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n

Words: <\/span>Wilson\u00a0Barlow<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Simple Art Museum In China Nods To The Nanfei River<\/h1>\n\n\n

In the 1950\u2019s, a Chinese party slogan proclaimed, \u201cEvery county must have its museum, and every commune its exhibition hall.\u201d Today, the country is experiencing an explosion of museums, many of which are free, with the aim of adopting a more modern cultural heritage, including in the central-eastern city of Hefei. It\u2019s there that Bangkok-based Jenchieh Hung + Kulthida Songkittipakdee\/HAS Design and Research<\/a> has completed the Simple Art Museum, a 12,380-square-foot institution, its bold architecture syncing with what\u2019s on show: contemporary pieces from emerging artists working in various disciplines, from painting to video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A sweeping zigzag canopy in micro-cement shelters the entry, then continues as the interior\u2019s ceiling, capping the galleries, workshops, and caf\u00e9 while concealing lighting and ductwork\u2014a gesture that\u2019s both functional and sculptural. \u201cIt not only reflects the essence of Hui-style architecture but also symbolizes the flowing movement of Hefei\u2019s mother river, the Nanfei,\u201d Hung explains. Songkittipakdee adds, \u201cIt opens outward to embrace the public.\u201d At sunset, 40-foot-long LED strips contribute to light refracting across the ceiling\u2019s textures, creating a ripplelike shimmer that blurs inside and out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ceiling plays a role in a current installation, too. \u201cFormatted Gaze\u201d by Xinjia Yang is composed of two parts: nearly a dozen smartphones suspended from above displaying human eyes, and his collage of posters of street-view maps hung on a neighboring wall. The ability to accommodate digital and analog, past and present architectural and societal traditions suggests that the Simple Art Museum is a work of art in its own right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tour The Simple Art Museum By HAS Design and Research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Photography by Fangfang Tian.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Photography courtesy of Jenchieh Hung + Kulthida Songkittipakdee\/Has Design and Research.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n