The Sifang Art Museum is an integral part of the Sifang Parkland, formerly known as the China International Practical Exhibition of Architecture. The project is the result of immense collaborative work, commissioning over twenty award-winning architects and artists over the course of ten years to construct a complex comprised of functional spaces, as well as permanent and temporary art exhibition venues. The estate offers the architects and artists unique circumstances and opportunities for developing and showcasing their works inside this beautifully preserved forest area. The Sifang Parkland is our tribute to contemporary art and architecture.

Based on a diverse collection of international and Chinese contemporary art, the Sifang Art Museum designed by Steven Holl holds high quality, changing curatorial exhibitions throughout the year. It aims to introduce the newest forms of art and to contribute to the growth of public appreciation for contemporary art. The conference center designed by Irata Isozaki features a gallery space, various conferences halls and auditoriums, and is home to a selection of the museum’s permanent art collections. This space allows visitors and guests to hold conferences while immersed in a total artistic experience. The boutique hotel designed by Liu Jiakun and Gary Chang sports 65 designer rooms with large banquet and event spaces, and is home to a growing display of site-specific art works. The recreational center designed by Ettore Sottsass holds spa and athletic facilities, as well as public workshops for carpentry, ceramics, calligraphy, etc. In addition, the site features twenty designer homes conceived by world renowned architects including David Adjaye, Wang Shu, SANNA, Mathiaz Klotz, Ai Weiwei, and many more. These spaces are for artist residence programs as well as leisure habitation.

The Sifang Parkland is about the experience. The site is a living, ever-evolving project that needs to be experienced personally, as each visit will give a different, individual experience. Art and architecture exist harmoniously with nature here, and the visitor is able to not only experience contemporary architectural spaces and art works, but also meditate and seek spiritual satisfaction away from the maddening claustrophobia of urban centers.

Sifang is also our response to China’s rapid urbanization and the profit-maximizing mentality. As the landscape of Chinese cities is quickly changed by the construction of many repetitive architecture designs at minimal cost, we felt obliged to do something different, to “break the mold” and inject a new architectural and artistic breath. We feel originality and creativity are integral parts of people’s lives, and these are the core underlying values we aim to convey via such a project.

Nanjing is known for its rich history and deep cultural roots steeped in Chinese tradition. As the museum’s floating gallery aligns its visual horizon to the ancient city’s modern skyline, we hope to establish a dialogue between the oldest and the newest forms of artistic expression, and to invigorate the cultural scene of Nanjing.

When we first set foot on the lush forested area ten years ago, we used a GPS to situate ourselves and to learn about the land like explorers and cartographers of yore.  Ten years later, although rich architecture space now winds in and out of the preserved forested area, we are still learning about the enormous possibilities this space can bring to us and the people of Nanjing and beyond. This site is a symbiosis of East and West, of natural and human beauty, of dreams birthed and those still nascent.