Close to the heart of China's contemporary art movement at the 798 Art District, NUO Hotel Beijing is an art destination in its own right, home to a priceless series of works from the country's most critically acclaimed artists, including "China's greatest living artist" Zeng Fanzhi.
In his role as NUO's art consultant, Mr. Zeng has created a number of works for the hotel including two that serve as centrepieces in the magnificent marble lobby. Inspired by the literary work of Ming Dynasty writer Zhang Dai, "Le Shan" is a monumental 2.25-tonne sculpture in silver and bronze, while "Landscape 2014" is a dramatic five-metre long oil painting greeting guests at check-in.
LANDSCAPE 2014
Upon entering NUO Hotel Beijing, guests are greeted by two of Zeng Fanzhi’s most monumental art pieces for the hotel, taking centre stage in the hotel’s grand lobby: a 6.3-metre by 2.6-metre oil painting, entitled “Landscape 2014”
THE VOYAGES OF ZHENG HE
‘The Voyages of Zheng He’ is displayed within N’Joy, the all-day dining restaurant. Through the stories of Zheng He, Lin Jing conjures up the sea, sky and reef, listens to the wind and smells the salt of the waves… The adventures of Zheng He are all in her vision and she seems to be sailing together with Zheng He with her paintbrush.
Artist - Lin Jing
ROSE
‘Rose’ by Wang Gang can be found at the NUO Spa mezzanine Level. The art piece consists of nine nested cubes crafted from bamboo. The multidimensional relationship explores the dialectical relationship between freedom and order, finally resulting in a lamp blooming dynamic light.
Artist - Wang Gang
LANDSCAPE FUN SERIES
At the NUO Spa mezzanine level, Huang Qicheng’s ‘Landscape Fun’ series explores a sense of the spiritual and personal within the vast scope of nature – popular themes of scholars and painters from ancient times to the present day. Huang aims to portray the artistic conception of traditional Chinese landscape painting through the medium of sculpture. In so doing, he allows the strong impression of landscape in traditional culture and Chinese philosophy to touch the lives of people today.
Artist - Huang Qicheng
JING (ARTISTIC CONCEPTION)
‘Jing’ at the lobby by Huang Qi echoes the atmosphere of NUO. Huang’s inspiration sprung from the daily life of Ming Dynasty literati, exploring their sense of life introspection and the spiritual world. Through a pure white world, ‘Jing’ showcases a sense of flexibility and unpredictability, characteristics Huang believes help to ‘cleanse’ a person’s inner world. If a person has peaceful thoughts, they will be peaceful; if a person has pure thoughts, they will be pure.
Artist - Huang Qi
UNTITLED
The art pieces within Jia Chinese restaurant are created by Tang Bohua. These pieces are inspired by Xu Wei, an ancient poet, painter and gourmet connoisseur. Through the concept of the cycle of seasons, the work takes us on a journey through time and space, while also referencing gourmet ingredients in different seasons.
Artist - Tang Bohua
THE PILLAR OF PASCALE
One of the most striking art works in the hotel is ‘The Pillar of Pascale’, consisted of two pillars made from stacked blue and white porcelain jars. One begins in the main lobby and reaches up through the ceiling, and the other is at the ballroom lobby on level 2. The sculpture represents the relationship between man and gods. The artist Pascale Martine Tayou says that the jars are meant as a prayer for food and water for the people of the world; however, they are also an ironic statement about people’s overly high or unrealistic aspirations.
Artist - Pascale Martine Tayou
SAILBOAT SERIES
Continuing the marine theme in N’ Joy, the all-day dining restaurant, is the ‘Sailboat’ series by Che Fei. The purpose of the creation is to reshape the aesthetic relationship between tradition and modernity by exploring the contrast between modern design and ancient knowledge. The body of the work is inspired by the structure of the universe and utilises copper and bamboo steel, a new environmentally friendly material derived from bamboo that has traditional Chinese aesthetics.
Artist - Che Fei
UNTITLED
At the entrance to Jia Chinese restaurant beside the lobby, an eye-catching artwork by Tang Bohua depicts a landscape panorama with cypress, bamboo, rocks and springs. Its magnificent spirit and charm brilliantly fuses the aesthetic of the Ming Dynasty with modern life.
Artist - Tang Bohua
UNTITLED
One of Song Yige’s art pieces showcased on level 2, takes the bird as its theme, appearing three dimensional with an enchanting sense of space and peace. Song’s surreal style stems from respecting her innermost being and digging deep to translate aspects of daily life in her own unique way.
Artist - Song Yige