TANK Shanghai presents Danwei Unfolding, curated by Merit Zimmermann, Nathan Yeomans, and Yu Jiayue——the awardees of TANK CURATOR Prize (co-winner of the award with Ningjue Lu).
Danwei Unfolding examines the complex and evolving relationship between identity and space, with a special focus on China. By reading the danwei system and its dissolution through Gilles Deleuze’s notion of the fold, the exhibition posits that urban China has undergone not just structural, but deep ontological transformations. Cities are not simply expanding or modernizing – they are re-folding, constantly reshaping the interplay between physical space and inner life. The exhibition takes its name from China’s unique “Danwei” system. This geographic unit, which once bound work, housing, and social relations, has developed a new form of belonging in the digital age, leading people to experience a collective folding movement of spatial cognition.
TANK CURATOR Prizes is a focused and challenging residency program for young curators, bringing together young curators from different countries and regions of the world, with an international outlook and a vision for the future. In a multicultural context, the program uses exploration, experimentation and experience to cultivate curators who can lead the trend of culture and art in the world.
TANK Shanghai is committed to presenting exhibitions exploring the evolving role of contemporary art institutions and their relationship with society. As a future-oriented award, TANK aims to support young curators in expanding artistic practice boundaries and fostering a more interconnected and inclusive art ecology.