OCAT西安馆

OCAT Xi’an occupies the Wangzhou building, the pilot phase of the Xixian Fengdong Cultural Centre on Fenghe East Road in Fengdong New Town, part of the Xixian New Area. It belongs to the OCAT group supported by China Overseas Chinese Town (OCT), first opening in November 2013 on the southern stretch of Beichitou First Road in Yanta District as the first museum in Xi’an devoted to contemporary art, and moving to the present site when Wangzhou was completed on 17 September 2020. The name Wangzhou comes from a line in the Book of Songs meaning “returning to Zhou, watched by all the people”; designed by Australian practice IAPA, it sits on a 1,632.5-square-metre plot with 2,875 square metres of floor area and a height of 13.25 metres, the ground floor holding a multi-purpose auditorium and the upper floor the main OCAT Xi’an galleries, with three natural courtyards threading the spaces so that inside and outside permeate each other. The museum presents Chinese contemporary art to an international standard, with an interest in looking back at history, forward to the future and across the cultural diversity of the Silk Road, all with free admission; its programme has combined solo research shows and thematic group exhibitions with lectures and public projects developed with local institutions and universities. It closed for gallery equipment maintenance on 13 December 2021 and reopened on 27 December 2022. Set within the Fengdong OCT cultural and tourism demonstration zone near Kunming Pool and Shijingli, it suits contemporary exhibitions, brand pop-ups, small launches and cultural forums; open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-17:30, last entry 17:00, closed Mondays, telephone +86 29 8638 0999 or 8911 1334, email ocat-xian@ocat-xian.org.cn.