Ahead of the March Hong Kong art week and Art Basel events, the He Art Museum (HEM) in Shunde, Guangdong province, drew considerable attention from international collectors and art enthusiasts. Since its opening in 2020, the private museum—founded by the He family, owners of the global appliance giant Midea Group—has become a prominent cultural destination in the Greater Bay Area, housed in a distinctive building designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando.

Despite new museum projects emerging in nearby Shenzhen, HEM is positioning itself as a key player in the region’s art landscape through a strategic shift in focus. Under the leadership of director Shao Shu, who has been with the institution since its inception, the museum has moved beyond its initial role as a venue showcasing internationally acclaimed artists to emphasizing socially relevant programming featuring local perspectives.

This transformation gained momentum in 2025 when HEM commissioned Dongguan-based artist Li Jinghu for a major site-specific installation titled *At Least There’s Love*. The work, an arrangement of street lamps forming a heart, draws inspiration from the “quiet desperation” experienced by factory workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. It now forms part of HEM’s permanent collection alongside pieces by artists such as Kimsooja, Julian Opie, and Antony Gormley.

The museum’s founder, He Jianfeng, has expressed a desire to balance cultural prestige with a spirit of local engagement, acknowledging that collecting art for personal enjoyment remains a key motivation. During a visit by VIP guests en route from Hong Kong, HEM presented four exhibitions that illustrated the museum’s evolving scope. These included the first comprehensive Asian survey of Danish artist Per Kirkeby, solo shows by Chinese-French painter Yan Peiming and Hong Kong mixed-media artist Leelee Chan, as well as *Threads of Kinship*, an international group exhibition developed in collaboration with Paris-based non-profit Kadist.

*Threads of Kinship*, located on the museum’s top floor, examines the global textile industry through a local lens, connecting historical and cultural threads between Guangdong’s silk production heritage, Paris’s role in fashion, and San Francisco’s 19th-century garment industry tied to Chinese migrant labor. Curators Shona Mei Findlay, Marie Martraire, and Yuan Fuca focused on the zishunu, or “self-combed women” of Guangdong, who in the 19th and early 20th centuries rejected marriage and pursued financial independence. The community is often seen today as an early model of feminism in China, though curators emphasize the complexity of their experience, shaped by social marginalization and economic necessity.

A centerpiece of the exhibition is an installation by Guangzhou artist Chen Jialu, which traces the migration and diaspora networks of the zishunu across Southeast Asia. Her work, *Gupoyu*, features embroidered oral histories on a dissolvable textile, symbolizing both cultural endurance and fragility. The exhibition expands on its 2025 debut at Kadist in Paris, growing from 11 to 44 artists, and incorporates important works from HEM’s collection, including pieces by Zhang Daqian and Lin Fengmian.

While some changes were made to accommodate local censorship standards, the organizers maintain that the exhibition’s critical social themes remain intact. Another highlight is Pan Yuliang’s *Lilies in a Blue Vase* (1944), acquired by He Jianfeng in 2021 for 5.75 million yuan. The painting reflects Pan’s journey from restrictive social circumstances to international recognition, mirroring broader themes of social mobility and women’s agency explored throughout the show.

As the He Art Museum deepens its focus on the unique cultural and historical narratives of the Pearl River Delta, it is demonstrating a commitment to presenting contemporary art that resonates not only within China but also on a global scale, redefining the region’s contemporary art discourse beyond traditional metropolitan centers.