De Ying Foundation (DYF) is a charitable organisation that supports contemporary art in China and internationally. We believe that contemporary art has an essential place in today’s China, and are committed to widening access to the highest standards of arts programming. We take a patient, long-term approach that is collaborative and open-minded, supporting and learning from other organisations that share our aims and values, as well as launching our own initiatives when we feel there is a need. Arts education is especially important to us, since we believe both in its inherent value and in its potential for transformative impact. While our core focus as a foundation is on greater China, we also work with international partners whose work inspires us, and hope to engender and to be part of a genuine artistic dialogue between China and the rest of the world.
De Ying Foundation has provided long-term sponsorship for the De Ying Associate Curator, Visual Arts, at M+. The foundation is Founding Patron of the Shanghai Centre of Photography and a key sponsor of the Hangzhou Triennial of Fiber Art at China Academy of Art.
De Ying was a sponsor of the Beijing-based artist Cao Fei’s first major solo exhibition in China, “Staging the Era”, 2021, presented at UCCA, Beijing, as well as, the UCCA leg of “Who is He?”, the historical retrospective of Geng Jianyi, one of China’s pioneering conceptual artists in 2023. De Ying is the main supporter for Glen Ligon’s first UK solo exhibition “All Over the Place”, 2024, at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. In 2018, we were also particularly excited to be early supporters of Steve McQueen’s Year 3 Project at Tate Britain.
De Ying Foundation also provided support in 2019 for the production of the catalogue accompanying Cecily Brown's acclaimed survey exhibition “Where, When, How Often and With Whom” at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark.
About Us
Foundation Initiatives
De Ying Curatorial Fellowship 2024 - 2025 11.03.2024
De Ying Foundation is delighted to announce the successful applicants for its second fellowship programme, which commences in early May this year.
De Ying Curatorial Fellowship is conceived to present the selected fellows with an opportunity to think deeply and critically about the prevailing field of the contemporary arts, with a view to what they can contribute to its future, and to fostering a broader and more inclusive contemporary narrative within a local and international context. The 18-month Shanghai-based programme presents a unique opportunity to a small group of fellows to focus on curatorial research as a locus for developing their personal practice.
The 2024-2025 De Ying Curatorial Fellowship invited applicants to submit a proposal for an exhibition or curatorial project that they would like to realise and would not otherwise be in a position to develop fully. Following an intense first-round selection process, and second-round in-person interviews, three successful candidates were chosen. They are (in alphabetical order) : Nie Xiaoyi; Sam Shiyi Qian; Wang Huan.
De Ying Curatorial Fellowship is conceived to present the selected fellows with an opportunity to think deeply and critically about the prevailing field of the contemporary arts, with a view to what they can contribute to its future, and to fostering a broader and more inclusive contemporary narrative within a local and international context. The 18-month Shanghai-based programme presents a unique opportunity to a small group of fellows to focus on curatorial research as a locus for developing their personal practice.
The 2024-2025 De Ying Curatorial Fellowship invited applicants to submit a proposal for an exhibition or curatorial project that they would like to realise and would not otherwise be in a position to develop fully. Following an intense first-round selection process, and second-round in-person interviews, three successful candidates were chosen. They are (in alphabetical order) : Nie Xiaoyi; Sam Shiyi Qian; Wang Huan.
Responding to Your Questions De Ying Curatorial Fellowship 2024-2025 05.12.2023
Following the recent announcement of the next De Ying Curatorial Fellowship, we have received a number of queries about the programme content and the process of submitting an application. Here we respond to some of the questions that have been raised. Please click "More Information" for details.
De Ying Curatorial Fellowship 2024-2025 Applications Invited 14.11.2023
De Ying Foundation is excited to announce the launch of the second De Ying Curatorial Fellowship(DYCF), which will be held from May 2024 to October 2025.
The De Ying Curatorial Fellowship is an 18-month programme that supports talented individuals in China looking to develop their experience of exhibition-making within the field of contemporary art. For successful candidates, the 2024-2025 fellowship programme will centre on developing a proposal for an exhibition or curatorial project that they would like to realise. In addition to receiving a research grant, fellows are further supported in the development of their project through mentorship of a curatorial project of their choosing.
The programme is led by Karen Smith, a British-born curator and art historian with many years’ experience working within the field of contemporary art in China, as an independent curator and through collaborations with a variety of organisations and institutions, and peers.
The De Ying Curatorial Fellowship is an 18-month programme that supports talented individuals in China looking to develop their experience of exhibition-making within the field of contemporary art. For successful candidates, the 2024-2025 fellowship programme will centre on developing a proposal for an exhibition or curatorial project that they would like to realise. In addition to receiving a research grant, fellows are further supported in the development of their project through mentorship of a curatorial project of their choosing.
The programme is led by Karen Smith, a British-born curator and art historian with many years’ experience working within the field of contemporary art in China, as an independent curator and through collaborations with a variety of organisations and institutions, and peers.
In Celebration of the Inaugural De Ying Curatorial Fellowship 21.07.2023
On July 21, the first De Ying Curatorial Fellowship celebrated the culmination of its inaugural 18-month program with a seminar centered on the presentation of the fellows’ research projects. The seminar was held at the Institute of Contemporary Art at NYU Shanghai.
De Ying Curatorial Fellowship 2022 - 2023 17.03.2022
The De Ying Foundation is delighted to announce the launch of its inaugural fellowship in the spring of 2022. The 18-month-long Shanghai-based programme presents a unique opportunity to a small group of candidates to focus on curatorial research as a locus for developing their personal practice.
The fellowship is conceived to present gifted candidates with an opportunity to think deeply and critically about the contemporary arts, with a view to the future, to the institutional landscape, and to fostering a broader and more inclusive contemporary narrative within a local and international context.
This inaugural fellowship is structured around the research topic: “Curating and the Institutional Landscape for China”; conceived to be of especial value at a moment when multiple previously immutable cultural and social narratives are in the process of being rethought. De Ying is delighted to support its first fellows in this pursuit: four extraordinarily talented young women, who are ideally placed to articulate a new version of China's current cultural conditions.
Here are the 2022-2023 De Ying Fellows (The fellows’ sequence is alphabetically arranged based on their family names):
Yuan FUCA
Ling GU
Gwendoline Cho-ning KAM
Jia LI
The fellowship is conceived to present gifted candidates with an opportunity to think deeply and critically about the contemporary arts, with a view to the future, to the institutional landscape, and to fostering a broader and more inclusive contemporary narrative within a local and international context.
This inaugural fellowship is structured around the research topic: “Curating and the Institutional Landscape for China”; conceived to be of especial value at a moment when multiple previously immutable cultural and social narratives are in the process of being rethought. De Ying is delighted to support its first fellows in this pursuit: four extraordinarily talented young women, who are ideally placed to articulate a new version of China's current cultural conditions.
Here are the 2022-2023 De Ying Fellows (The fellows’ sequence is alphabetically arranged based on their family names):
Yuan FUCA
Ling GU
Gwendoline Cho-ning KAM
Jia LI
De Ying Curatorial Fellowship 01.03.2022
The De Ying Foundation is excited to announce the launch of the inaugural De Ying Curatorial Fellowship. The De Ying Curatorial Fellowship, a full-time 18-month programme starting in February 2022, provides a platform to support talented individuals in China looking to develop their experience of exhibition-making within the field of contemporary art.
The fellowship will be led by Karen Smith, a British-born curator and art historian with many years’ experience within the field of contemporary art in China, both in an independent capacity and in collaborations with a variety of organisations and institutions. Before joining the De Ying Foundation, she has served as director of OCAT Xi’an and as artistic director of the Shanghai Center of Photography.
The De Ying Curatorial Fellowship will welcome up to 4 fellows, who will be based in Shanghai for the duration of the fellowship. Each fellow will receive a generous stipend to cover their living expenses, as well as additional travel grants.
The fellowship will be led by Karen Smith, a British-born curator and art historian with many years’ experience within the field of contemporary art in China, both in an independent capacity and in collaborations with a variety of organisations and institutions. Before joining the De Ying Foundation, she has served as director of OCAT Xi’an and as artistic director of the Shanghai Center of Photography.
The De Ying Curatorial Fellowship will welcome up to 4 fellows, who will be based in Shanghai for the duration of the fellowship. Each fellow will receive a generous stipend to cover their living expenses, as well as additional travel grants.
Selected Projects
Steve McQueen - Year 3
The De Ying Foundation was a major early supporter of Steve McQueen’s Year 3 Project at Tate Britain, which saw the Turner Prize-winning artist and Oscar-winning filmmaker create an epic portrait of London’s Year 3 pupils that filled Tate Britain’s Duveen Galleries.
Cecily Brown - Where, When, How Often and With Whom 
The De Ying Foundation provided support for the production of the catalogue accompanying Where, When, How Often and With Whom Cecily Brown’s acclaimed survey exhibition at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark
Cao Fei - Staging the Era
The De Ying Foundation was a sponsor of Cao Fei: Staging the Era at UCCA, Beijing, the artist’s first major solo show in China and largest and most comprehensive career retrospective to date.
Hangzhou Triennial of Fiber Art
De Ying Foundation is a key sponsor of the Hangzhou Triennial of Fiber Art at China Academy of Art. The 4th Hangzhou Triennial of Fiber Art is scheduled to open at Zhejiang Art Museum on October 18 of 2022. The theme is "Being Theoria".
M+ De Ying Associate Curator, Visual Art
De Ying Foundation has provided long-term sponsorship for the De Ying Associate Curator, Visual Arts, at M+. The Foundation is proud to advance the important curatorial work that enhances the diffusion of knowledge in the region, inspiring the next generations of Chinese art leaders and growing audiences.
Geng Jianyi - Who is He?
De Ying was a sponsor of the UCCA leg of “Who is He?”, the historical retrospective of Geng Jianyi, one of China’s pioneering conceptual artists in 2023.
Glenn Ligon - All Over The Place
The work of American contemporary artist Glenn Ligon in a landmark exhibition bringing together works by the artist alongside his unique interventions.
Funded by De Ying Foundation
Funded by De Ying Foundation
