Organized by Fuliang County Government and undertaken by HUBART, “Art at Fuliang” is a regional art festival held in Fuliang County, Jingdezhen City, Jiangxi Province, China. HUBART is responsible for planning, curating, operating, and other specific implementations. The initial “Art at Fuliang 2021” chose Hanxi Village in Zangwan Township as the venue. Adhered to the criteria of “pioneering, small-scale, refined and experimental”, the festival invited a total of 26 Chinese and foreign artists in the form of “Village Project” to present 22 art projects through localized creation. The art projects appeared everywhere in the village, utilizing not only the original vacant houses but also fully integrating with the local natural environment. The whole project turned the whole village into a roofless art museum. Wandering around the village, people can not only enjoy the art that is presented in a specific field out of the “white box” space but also embraces the natural fields, taste the countryside food, buy local specialties, talk with the villagers, and get along with the animals and plants. Such a form of traveling and viewing has become an attractive journey for discovering humanities and regions, enhancing exchange and dialog between city and countryside. Starting in 2021 since the epidemic had not yet subsided, “Art at Fuliang 2021” was divided into two seasons: spring and fall. Lasted 62 days and attracted hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over China, Art at Fuliang 2021 became a hit on many social media platforms, bringing joy and hope to people at a special time. Due to the existence of “Art at Fuliang”, Fuliang County has become a new destination for people traveling to Jingdezhen.
China is a vast country with more than 2,800 county-level administrative regions, and Fuliang County is one of them. Like many rural areas in China, it is peaceful and unassuming, yet it has its own unique culture and character. However, uneven development between urban and rural areas is a current problem in China. To address this issue, we must find ways to create more development opportunities for places like Fuliang County that are primarily used for agricultural cultivation. At the journey of “Art at Fuliang”, artists who agree with the concept of regional art festivals project their passion in this land. They use methods of localization such as “telling local stories”, “using local materials and crafts”, “inviting local people to participate” and “utilizing old venues and spaces” to show their artistic expression and creativity across time and space. Therefore, the purpose of regional art festivals is not only the art exhibition itself but also to help locals enhance their love for their native land and cultural self-confidence. It also helps outsiders recognize local values and create more development opportunities for the hosting place through the creation and guidance of art and problem-solving orientation. Fuliang County is the origin of the world-famous “porcelain capital” Jingdezhen, which has been the center of ceramics and tea production and trade for thousands of years. However, the development of modern society has gradually marginalized old local values. Art at Fuliang hopes to help this place regain its cultural confidence through its own methods. Art at Fuliang hopes to revitalize the area in its own way.
“Art at Fuliang” will be held again in the autumn of 2023. It will not only continue to enhance the art presentation in Hanxi Village but also expand to other areas of the county at this time. More artists will be invited to tell the story of Fuliang in a variety of forms and promote the development of the county’s regional tourism. The historical lineage, local traditions, ecological resources, tea industry, and other regional values of Fuliang will be shown to friends from all over China and the entire world. People will see abundant and intact Fuliang in their artistic travels.
