Ahead of the March art events linked to Art Basel Hong Kong, the He Art Museum (HEM) in Shunde, Guangdong province, attracted considerable attention from international art enthusiasts. Since its establishment in 2020 by the He family, founders of the Midea Group—the world’s largest home appliance manufacturer—the museum has become a notable destination in the Greater Bay Area, housed in a distinctive building designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando.

Under the leadership of director Shao Shu, who has guided the museum since its inception, HEM is undergoing a strategic shift. Initially focused on showcasing internationally acclaimed artists, such as the 2023 Roni Horn retrospective, the museum is now pivoting toward socially engaged programming with a stronger emphasis on local perspectives. This direction reflects a broader aim to connect the institution more closely with the communities and histories of the Pearl River Delta region.

A landmark moment in this evolution came last year with the museum’s commission of Dongguan-based artist Li Jinghu. His site-specific installation, *At Least There’s Love*, features a heart-shaped arrangement of street lamps placed outside the headquarters of He Jianfeng’s Infore Group, only a short walk from the museum. The work draws on Li’s observations of the “quiet desperation” experienced by factory workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing the often-overlooked human toll embedded in global textile supply chains—a subject not commonly highlighted by mainland Chinese cultural institutions.

He Jianfeng, the museum’s founder and eldest son of the Midea Group’s founder, has also recently stepped back from his majority stake in Holly’s International Auctions, signaling a preference for collecting art for personal engagement rather than commercial interests. According to Shao, He views this transition as part of his evolving relationship with the art world, seeking a balance between cultural prestige and community involvement.

During the visit by VIP guests from Hong Kong, HEM presented four major exhibitions that spotlighted its expanded focus. These included the first major Asia survey of Danish artist Per Kirkeby, solo shows for Chinese-French painter Yan Peiming and Hong Kong mixed-media artist Leelee Chan, and *Threads of Kinship*, an international group exhibition curated in collaboration with Paris-based Kadist.

Located on the museum’s top floor, *Threads of Kinship* explores the global textile industry through a historical and cultural lens with specific ties to Shunde’s long-standing role in silk production, Paris’s status as a global fashion capital, and San Francisco’s garment industry heritage shaped by 19th-century Chinese laborers. The exhibition highlights the story of the zishunu, or “self-combed women,” a group of Guangdong women in the 19th and 20th centuries who renounced marriage in pursuit of financial independence. While social media has praised them as early feminists in China, curators emphasize that their choices were shaped by complex socioeconomic forces, involving both constraint and autonomy.

Guangzhou artist Chen Jialu’s installation unpacks this nuanced legacy by tracing the migration and community-building efforts of the zishunu diaspora across Southeast Asia. Her centerpiece, *Gupoyu*, incorporates embroidered oral histories on a dissolvable textile and explores the pragmatic realities behind this historical phenomenon.

The exhibition draws from a 2025 Kadist show in Paris but was expanded significantly for its HEM presentation, now featuring 44 artists, including modern masters Zhang Daqian and Lin Fengmian from the museum’s collection. While some works were adjusted to meet local censorship requirements, curators assert that the exhibition retains its critical social commentary.

Complementing this narrative is Pan Yuliang’s 1944 *Lilies in a Blue Vase*, acquired by He Jianfeng in 2021 for 5.75 million yuan. The painting symbolizes Pan’s rise from constrained social conditions to international artistic recognition, paralleling the shifting social norms impacting women in China.

HEM’s evolving vision seeks to anchor contemporary art within the specific—and often underrepresented—histories of its region. By embracing local voices and socially relevant themes, the museum aims to broaden the cultural discourse beyond traditional metropolitan centers, asserting its role as a key player in the Greater Bay Area’s dynamic art landscape.