With the announcement of lockdown restrictions easing and indoor public spaces reopening, Durham University’s Oriental Museum will be re-opening to the public on Wednesday 19th May, with a new exhibition: Lu Xun’s Legacy: Print Making in Modern China.
Arguably one of the most important cultural figures of 20th century China, Lu Xun was a leading left-wing writer and printmaker and a passionate critic of the cultural and political conditions in early 20th century China. Lu Xun transformed the neglected art of woodblock printing, invented in China more than 1000 years earlier, making the woodblock print a weapon for social change and national resistance.
The new exhibition includes over fifty prints spanning every decade from the 1930s when Xun re-imagined woodblock printing as an instrument for opposition.
Rachel Barclay, Curator of Durham University’s Oriental Museum, said: ‘We are delighted to be working with the Muban Educational Trust to bring this wonderful exhibition to Durham. It is an opportunity for our visitors to enjoy some superb artworks and to learn more about this extraordinary man and his influence on modern China.’
To celebrate the re-opening, visitors will be granted free entry.
Visitors will be required to pre-book a 2-hour timeslot and follow newly implemented safety measures (including limiting the rule of six or two households, up to a maximum of six per booking) to ensure the museum remains Covid-secure. For now, the café and shop will remain closed.
Opening times will be 10am-4pm, Wednesday to Friday and 12pm-4pm, Saturday to Sunday, remaining closed on Mondays and Tuesdays to allow staff to continue their university teaching commitments.
Dates for re-opening are subject to change, depending on government restrictions being lifted as outlined in their planned roadmap out of lockdown.
Further details, including booking, can be found at www.durham.ac.uk/oriental.museum/visit
Image credit: Nick Boreham