In the east suburb of Beijing,there are about 3000-4000 artists lived in several villages around SongZhuang, forming the largest art community in the world, which is known as the artist village. Since 1994,Artist Village has built its international fame for China contemporary art,and many works here are sold directly to the international art market and favored by museums and collectors.

     在北京的东郊宋庄镇周边的几个村落里，聚集着大约3000-5000从事当代艺术创作的艺术家，形成世界上最大的艺术家群落，被称作宋庄画家村。

    自1994年以来，画家村已经以中国当代艺术蜚声海外，这里的许多作品直接流向国际艺术市场，为许多国家的博物馆和收藏者所喜爱。

The 1st SongZhuang art festival held by the gallery 由画家村画廊举办的第一届宋庄艺术节。

 "Peacock"performed by an artist lived in Japan  旅居日本的艺术家表演的孔雀舞

      Jazzlized cultural revolution dance       Tug-of-war between different villages
      被爵士化的文革舞蹈：革命无罪 造反有理       加油啊！各村之间的拔河比赛

    This self-formed art group tries to build China contemporary art image in the world by using their unique language to express and explain their understanding of the reality and life. They wish to drive China contemporary art forward by their art experiments and to live on art.

    这个自发的艺术群体试图通过依靠一种集体的力量来打造中国当代艺术的世界形象，他们试图用独特的艺术语言表达来诠释他们对社会现实及生活的理解，并且希望通过各自的艺术实验来推进中国的当代艺术，同时能够以此养家糊口。

                                                老窦的山东快书

         Martial Art by Chang 常老师的武术表演                              男生小合唱

Fork instrument playing from Switzerland          Modern dance combined with painting                                                    by artistsfrom USA and Philipine.

来自瑞士的艺术家表演了民间乐器演奏            美国和菲律宾的年轻艺术家合作了即兴舞蹈与绘画

    Coming from different places of China, most of the artists don’t have stable job, only living on selling their works. Some of them have their own houses and gardens, the others just rent houses from the peasants.To show their personality, their houses and gardens are different form each other, just like their different-style works.

    Far away from the mainstream,  these  artists' work surpasses the limitation of skill and shows more concept meaning. It reflects the conflict and combination of east and west, tradition and modern, dream and reality and expresses the artist’s concern to reality , human’s nature and their pursuing to idea. Their works are personal sentiment and experience, but that doesn’t make it hard to understand by public. The mode expressed by their works such as struggling, puzzling, beautiful, ugly, miserable, sad, happy and elegant and pizzazz, all reflect they unique understanding and explanation.

    To these artists, Songzhuang is not only the actual base for living, but also their spiritual support. You cannot find another place in the world where the artists can have so many comrades. Their love for art, pursuit of idea and freedom, similar toast, all these make them feel living in their own circle.

    由于环境的差异，宋庄艺术家的作品与学院派的风格便迥然不同，它在对技巧的娴熟掌握基础上，更注重一种观念上的表达，内容深刻，耐人寻味。另外它摆脱了学院派的匠气，表现出一种狂放不羁的野性之美。宋庄的作品在国际上很有知名度，它与世界艺术市场直接接轨，在世界当代艺术收藏市场上占有一席之地，并且越来越受到各国博物馆、美术馆及收藏界的青睐。

    宋庄不仅是艺术家们生存的现实依托，更是艺术家们的精神家园，没有哪里比在这里能够找到如此之多的志同道合者了。对艺术的热爱，对理想的追求，对自由的向往，共同的爱好，相似的审美情趣，使他们感觉到生活在自己人的圈子里。

   The 2nd SongZhuang art festival held by the gallery 由画家村画廊举办的第二届宋庄艺术节

  Wife carrying competition                                   好玩的背妻比赛

Tug of War     各村之间的拔河比赛

     The fate of artists living in SongZhuang is different. Some of them are lucky successors, and some are failure-destined genius. But it is all of them that record the growth ring of the development of China contemporary art.

    居住在宋庄的画家们有这完全不同的境遇，一些人是成功的幸运儿，另一些人则是注定失败的天才。但正是他们记录着中国当代艺术发展的年轮。

 林红的天气预报                      朱晓梅的琵琶独奏          马野的陕北民歌

杨大卫一家的表演  老赵（已经去世）的诗朗诵：啊！我的女王    尽情舞蹈的王大侠和马鄢玲

 阿芳和光彩的半个月亮爬上来                                 三人组合

已经不在人世的马来西亚艺术家马杰和他的音乐家朋友                               

 啊！我的太阳                 忘情舞蹈的女画家朱晓梅         宋庄美女歌手阿芳

       Because of its frequent contact with outside, Songzhuang is not just limit to its location and has become a general name for artist groups around SongZhuang. So the exhibition hold in Songzhuang is not only limited to artists in Songzhuang. Most SongZhuang artists are active in society as teachers, freelancer writers, musicians and bourgeois. All the artists living in SongZhuang have a common idea, that is, Art is the life style they agree and chose. So art in SongZhuang is more independent, immanent and placid.

 带有艺术基因的宋庄第二代，青出于蓝而胜于蓝，他们是艺术节上一道美丽的风景

       The dish won the first place in the art     cooking competion: steamed bread shaped in     breasts,bottom and organ which tasted with     sweet,sour ,bitter and hot----the joys and     sorrows of life.

荣获艺术烹调大赛第一名索以同作品：酸甜苦辣

     ChengDanQing ,a famous artist returning from abroad, said: The future of Chinese fine art is in Song Zhuang”.It is true. By Comparing their works with those belong to the mainstream, you can understand what does he mean. 

   海外归来的著名艺术家陈丹青曾这样说过：“中国美术的未来在宋庄。” 他说得不错，只要将宋庄艺术家的作品与所谓的主流艺术家的相比较，你就能理解他指的是什么了。

 荣获艺术烹调大赛第二名窦金军作品：窦家瓷窑烤肉

参观宋庄画家村问答：

1. 来宋庄看什么？

   人们之所以要走那么远的路来宋庄，当然是为了看当代实验艺术。但如果仅仅是泛泛地看看当代艺术，大可不必跑那么远的路。同样是当代艺术，宋庄与798则完全不同，798是一个纯粹的展览场所，并且十分的商业化。而宋庄是艺术家们生活和工作的地方，在这里可以感受到艺术家们真实的生活。

    宋庄之所以有名是因为它是中国当代实验艺术的基地。中国的当代艺术最早从这里走向世界。当代艺术最初是相对于学院派的主流艺术而言，因为这里的艺术家没有单位，不受体制的约束，所以他们的艺术创作无拘无束，想画什么就画什么。在最早政治控制相对较严的时期，这里的作品大部分与政治有关，被认为是“出格的”，参加展览是要受到限制的。如今十多年过去了，所谓的主流和非主流的界限已经变得很模糊了。加之宋庄的画家也也越聚越多，各种风格，各种流派混杂在一起，各色各样的人物、三教九流都聚集到了宋庄，并且许多后来的淘金者资金雄厚，占据了宋庄的主要位置，主干道上充斥着出售廉价行画的小摊小贩，加之众多的餐馆，人员嘈杂，从外观上看不出有什么特色。要看到真正的宋庄，必须深入到里面，才能真正领略到宋庄的特色。

画家们在这里已经生活了十多年了，宋庄出生的第二代已经上学了。

2.看当代艺术。什么是当代艺术。

3，宋庄都有什么地方值得一看？ 

4. 怎样游览宋庄？

5. 为什么画家村画廊要收费？

6. 为什么画家村画廊是必看的景点？

7. 除了艺术之外还能看些什么和做些什么？