Jon Burgerman's 'It's Great to Create!' to open as new art museum's inaugural exhibition

Jon Burgerman's first major solo exhibition on the Chinese mainland, "Its Great to Create!," will open on Sept. 30 as the inaugural exhibition of the Prince Bay Art Center, which will open to the public on the same day.

A poster for the upcoming "It's Great to Create!" exhibition. Photos courtesy of the event organizers

The exhibition brings together more than 100 paintings, installations and new media works, offering a comprehensive presentation of Burgerman's practice in recent years. It will also feature a newly commissioned sculptural installation, while several cross-media works will make their debut in China.

Born in the U.K. in 1979, Burgerman is known for his distinctive visual language. With their soft, loosely defined forms, carefree googly eyes and bold clashes of highly saturated colors, his signature wide-eyed characters may appear innocent and childlike at first glance. Beneath that playful surface, however, lies a rich range of emotions and complex personalities.

Jon Burgerman is known for his distinctive visual language.

His work has been exhibited at major international art institutions including Tate Modern in London and the Ludwig Museum in Budapest, and collected by institutions including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the OÖ Kultur Museum in Linz, Austria. His solo exhibitions have taken him from London and New York to Taipei and Seoul. He has also collaborated with brands including Apple, Samsung, POP MART, CASETiFY and Nike.

For Burgerman, art should not remain confined to enclosed spaces. It finds its true value when it enters everyday life and engages with people in meaningful ways. Echoing this principle, this is not an exhibition designed simply to be "looked at."

Scenes at Burgerman's previous exhibitions. 

The exhibition title, "It's Great to Create!," comes from Burgerman's 2017 book of the same name, a collection of 101 simple and playful creative exercises designed to be picked up and tried right away. It also reflects his artistic philosophy: creativity does not belong exclusively to artists. It is an innate ability shared by everyone.

Bringing together painting, sculptural installation, new media and digital art, the exhibition incorporates audience participation and interaction into its structure from the outset. It hopes that as you walk through the gallery and encounter works that move you, you will feel the urge to pick up something and create for yourself.

The moment that urge arises, you have already become part of the exhibition.