With thousands of artists in the area busily forging famous (and obscure) paintings, Dafen is an intriguing place for an art museum. A “village” within the city of Shenzhen, it features streets and alleys packed with studios producing counterfeit paintings, many of which are bought to decorate hotel rooms in the United States and elsewhere, To help upgrade the neighborhood and attract tourists, the local government help an invited competition for the museum and selected Urbanus Architecture & Design, a Chinese firm with offices in Shenzhen and Beijing, to design the building.
Was featured in: Abitare Magazine April 2008.