🐦‍⬛3.11 LuxeLakes: Collabing with A4 Art Museum to Set up a Year-end flagship exhibition on human-avian relationships

just got back from the mountains… straight to the museum office to brainstorm ideas for their exhibit

background for A4 Art Museum

Founded in 2008 by Chengdu Wide Horizon Investment Co., Ltd., A4 Art Museum is a private, non-profit contemporary art institution committed to advancing experimental practices and cross-cultural dialogue in the arts. Relocated in 2016 to Luxelakes Eco-City, the museum now spans over 6,500 square meters across 12 modular spaces, functioning as a civic-scale art complex in Chengdu’s evolving urban ecology. Under the leadership of founding director Sunny Sun, A4 has curated over 80 exhibitions and hosted more than 2,000 events, collaborating with nearly 500 artists, 40 curators, and numerous international institutions. The museum operates across two main sites—including the A4X Art Center designed by Antoine Predock—and runs four major programs: A4 Art Museum, A4 Kids, A4 Residency, and A4X. Its initiatives integrate research, education, and public engagement, emphasizing social participation and sustainable cultural development. A4 positions itself not merely as a venue, but as an evolving model of the “new art museum”—a platform that connects disciplines, communities, and creators on a global scale.

A4 Art Museum invited me as their curatorial advisor for its year-end flagship exhibition on human-avian relationships, a major event within the museum’s biennial program that aims to raise awareness for environmental and wildlife protection. I will contribute to early-stage conceptual development and assist with on-the-ground execution. The collaboration also aims to integrate my ongoing community project through co-created public workshops. These may include DIY sessions on bird-collision prevention stickers, open classes at Luxelakes Primary School themed around birds in Song dynasty paintings, and a series of mobile installations across six public parks within the Luxelakes community. These installations will focus on ornithological knowledge and conservation awareness. In addition, the partnership will explore ecological education through art interventions aboard the Luxelakes Fishing Festival boats. This multi-platform collaboration seeks to merge curatorial innovation, community engagement, and environmental advocacy at an institutional level.