Baopu Residency Program 
抱朴艺术驻地

Baopu Residency Program (BAOPU) is located in Kaili City, Guizhou Province, China. It is a non-profit residency program that explores the interdisciplinary possibilities between contemporary art and the cultures of Southwest China's ethnic minorities. It is dedicated to supporting the research and creation of resident curators and artists, and aims to build a bridge between contemporary art and local cultures, folk art, intangible cultural heritage, and indigenous art collections through collaboration.


抱朴艺术驻地位于中国贵州省凯里市，是一个探索当代艺术与西南少数民族文化的跨界可能性的非盈利驻地项目。我们致力于支持驻地策展人与艺术家的调研与创作，并在合作中架起当代艺术与西南在地文化、民间艺术、非物质文化遗产、本土艺术收藏之间的桥梁。

 
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About

The Baopu Residency Program (BAOPU), located in Kaili City, Guizhou Province, China, is a non-profit initiative dedicated to exploring the interdisciplinary possibilities between contemporary art and the cultures of Southwest China's ethnic minorities. The residency workspace, transformed from the former Kaili Health School, forms a triadic creative hub along with Baopu Studio and Baopu Folk Art Space. Our mission is to support the research and creation of resident curators and artists, fostering collaboration that bridges contemporary art with local cultures, folk art, intangible cultural heritage, and indigenous art collections.

BAOPU utilizes Baopu Studio as its cultural sample base, housing an extensive collection of more than 100,000 folk art pieces and materials, including vintage and antique ethnic clothing, embroidery, fabrics, and traditional tools. The studio has partnered with major universities and designer brands, contributing significantly to academic research and interdisciplinary applications of folk customs and folk art. The systematic research and organization of these items, alongside the exploration of their contemporary relevance, underpin the origins of the Baopu Residency Program. The artists and curators-in-residence will have the unique opportunity to deeply engage with and experimentally transform the studio's collections.

BAOPU maintains long-term partnerships with craft workshops, which can be tailored to meet the needs of artists exploring ethnic handicraft techniques, including but not limited to batik, traditional papermaking, various ethnic embroidery methods, and hand weaving.   Additionally, the studio is equipped with its own craft workshop and plant dyeing facility, open 24 hours a day. Located in Kaili, Guizhou, BAOPU benefits from exceptional geographical advantages for field research, with close ties to surrounding ethnic groups and branches, providing ample support for residents and visitors' on-site investigations.

We invite artists and curators to benefit from residency living and creation funds. BAOPU provides not only studio and exhibition spaces but also accommodation and two meals a day.

The vision of BAOPU is to serve as an experimental art model achieved through community interaction and collaboration. We assist in the execution and implementation of locally oriented project proposals from artists and curators-in-residence. BAOPU aims to continuously collaborate with interested institutions and individuals, hosting exhibitions, public projects, and more, both locally and globally. Our goal is to become an active contributor to the cultural and visual arts landscape of Southwest China by fostering interdisciplinary and cross-media engagement with local cultures, promoting cooperation, and facilitating knowledge production among various cultural and artistic disciplines.

All exhibitions and activities organized by BAOPU are free and open to the public.











Mission


In recent times, with the growing public focus on intangible cultural heritage in China, the industry's consideration of its inheritance and development is just beginning. The Baopu Residency Program's exploration of new possibilities in folk art is not meant to be a spectacle for urban curiosity or voyeuristic interest in the Other, nor does it seek to create new Oriental artistic symbols. In the contemporary context, the preservation and development of folk art require not only the transmission of skills but also the engagement and participation of practitioners from various fields.

We are exploring questions such as:

  • How can interdisciplinary practice remain vigilant against and overcome the "domination-colonization" logic inherent in capitalism?

  • How should fieldwork methods in contemporary art evolve beyond traditional forms of archiving, documenting, and representing?

  • To what extent does an object's historical dynamism and potential contemporary relevance align with Theodor Adorno's concept of 'the museal'?

...

Therefore, we are establishing this platform to invite diverse voices to converge here. "Folk art needs hands-on participation from the ground up, not top-down attention; the road is long and arduous."

Tribute to Han Sheng and to Mr. Huang Yongsong.









Team


Ran Zhou    Co-director

Dan Hong    Co-Director         

Yunshan Jiang    Adjunct Curator

Penny Xu    Supervisor

Wei Wei    Graphic Designer

Yubing Guo    Moderator











How to apply


  1. Initially, BAOPU will operate primarily by invitation, where we will actively invite artists and curators to participate and help establish the residency project. 

  2. An open call for applications is planned for fall 2025. Please stay tuned for updates.

  3. If you have a clear and comprehensive proposal requiring support, such as a field investigation of a specific ethnic group, systematic research on ethnic weaving techniques and patterns, or a Southwest culture-related exhibition needing venue and technical support, please contact us directly via email or messages. 

















关于我们


抱朴艺术驻地是一个探索当代艺术与西南少数民族文化的跨界可能性的非盈利驻地项目。驻地项目所在的空间由凯里市老卫校改造而来，与抱朴黔东南工作室、抱朴民艺空间形成三位一体的联合创作空间。我们致力于支持驻地艺术家与来访者的调研与创作，并在合作中架起当代艺术与西南在地文化、民间艺术、非物质文化遗产、本土艺术收藏之间的桥梁。

抱朴驻地项目以抱朴黔东南工作室作为驻地项目的文化样本基地，现藏有数十万件民间艺术品与材料，包括且不仅限于古着和古董民族服饰、绣品、织物、古道具等。工作室迄今已与各大高校、设计师品牌有过合作，对民俗民艺的学术调研与跨界应用做出了突出贡献。对老物品做更系统的调研和梳理、开发其更多的当代可能性也正是抱朴驻地项目成立的缘起，驻地艺术家将有机会与工作室藏品进行深度互动和实验改造。

驻地项目拥有长期合作的手工艺工坊，可根据艺术家的需求对接和安排探索与实验民族手工技艺，包括且不限于蜡染、古法造纸、各类民族绣法、手工织布等。此外，工作室自己配有手工车间和植物染色坊，24小时开放。此外，抱朴位于贵州凯里，于田野调查有着得天独厚的地域优势，抱朴与周边各族群和支系有着密切的联系，可为来访者的实地考察提供充分支持。

抱朴驻地邀请来访的艺术家与策展人享有驻地生活补贴和创作经费，除创作空间外，驻地也提供住宿与每日两餐。

抱朴驻地的理想状态是作为一种经由社区互动合作达成的实验性艺术模式，根据驻地艺术家、策展人以在地文化为导向的项目提案，协助其执行和落地。抱朴计划持续与任何对该领域有兴趣的机构与个人合作，在地方乃至全球范围内举办展览、公共节目、出版物等。抱朴的目标是通过不同层面对西南在地文化的跨学科与跨媒介介入，成为中国西南地区文化与视觉艺术景观的活跃贡献者，以促进不同文化艺术门类之间的合作和知识生产。

抱朴所有展览和活动将全部免费向公众开放。















我们的使命


如今，随着公众对于非物质文化遗产的关注越来越高，业界对于传承和发展的思考才刚刚开始。抱朴驻地艺术所探讨的民间艺术新可能，拒绝作为满足城市人对他者的好奇乃至猎奇心理而存在的奇观，也无意借此塑造新的东方艺术符号。当代语境里民艺的传承和发展涉及到技艺、聚落、文化和社会形态的多个层面，需要的不只是手艺的传承者，更是来自不同领域从业者的关注和介入。

对于很多问题，我们没有答案，例如：

  • 跨学科探索如何警惕与克服其与资本主义相伴的“驯服-殖民”逻辑？

  • 田野志的研究方式在当代艺术中究竟该如何以超越archive/document/representation的形制展开？

  • 与原生功能和现代需求脱节的博物馆式（museal）非物质文化遗产在当代语境中被重新激活的限度在哪里？

如此种种，不一而足。


也正因此，我们设立平台，诚邀不同的声音与视角在此相聚。“民艺需要的不是自上至下的关注而是躬身参与，道阻且长。”

致敬《漢聲》，致敬黄永松老师









团队


周然    联合主理人          

洪旦    联合主理人             

姜蕴珊    常驻策展人

徐小丹    机构顾问

魏微    平面设计师
            
国瑜冰    主持人









如何申请


  1. 抱朴驻地成立初期以邀请制为主，我们会主动去邀请艺术家和策展人来驻地创作，共同完成驻地项目的初步搭建。

  2. 预计2025年秋天，我们会开启公开招募，欢迎大家持续关注，届时申请。

  3. 如果您已有了较为明确和完整的在地提案需要落地支持（例如：对某族某支系以何种方式为期多久的田野调查，对某族织物技法和纹样的系统研究，或者已完成调研、开题和艺术家阵容搭建的西南文化相关展览需要场地和技术支持，等等），欢迎直接email或私信沟通。















Baopu Art Space, Building No.11, Former Medical School, Kaili, Guizhou, China
Baopu Folk Art Space (previous Baopu Cafe), 5 Feihong Road, Kaili, Guizhou, China 


贵州凯里市老卫校11号楼 （红洲路与环城东路交叉口东南200米）
贵州凯里市飞鸿路5号抱朴民艺空间