2026 NYC×DESIGN | CHINA NEW DESIGN Exhibition

△poster designer: Zhizhi Liu

Bringing together global design leaders and emerging talents, the 2026 NYC×DESIGN kicks off in mid‑May, celebrating the infinite power and possibilities of design in shaping our world. Co‑organized by Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation and Fosun Foundation, with support from the above organizations, the CHINA NEW DESIGN exhibition will be a signature project of NYC×DESIGN. The opening reception and talk will take place on May 18 at 18:00 PM at HALO Space, a cultural landmark in Manhattan’s Financial District, , and will be free and open to the international public through May 30.

Info

Exhibition Dates: May 19–30, 2026, 11:00–19:00
Opening Reception & Forum: May 18, 2026, 18:00–19:00
Venue: HALO Space, 28 Pine Street, New York, NY 10005
Admission: Free

NYC×DESIGN has in recent years become an important international platform for cultural exchange and the global reach of Chinese design. The exhibition venue—designed by Gordon Bunshaft, a Pritzker Prize laureate—was the first International Style landmark in Lower Manhattan built by the Rockefeller family. It formerly served as the global headquarters of Morgan Guaranty Trust Company, and its public plaza features art installations by Isamu Noguchi and other internationally renowned artists.

All exhibits in this exhibition are US premieres, organized into three major sections: Pioneer Talents, Industrial Innovation Design, and SDGs DESIGN. The curatorial approach aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), integrating AI‑driven design, internationally awarded industrial design, independent illustration, contemporary art, therapeutic art and design, New‑style Chinese lifestyle, sustainable materials, intangible cultural heritage crafts of ethnic minorities, revitalization of traditional arts, and product design for animal and environmental protection.

The participating creators, brands, and institutions, each a distinctive innovative force, include: China Academy of Art (with young directors Tu Qiang, Mo Xiaolin, Lao Xiaowu, Ye Ruixi, Li Zehao, Guo Xiaoruo, Tang Lihao, Shui Yuan, Tang Ruihong, He Chaohong, and Jiao Binghao), Jia Wei KK, LKK Design, Pechoin, CHANGPHEL Tibetan rugs, ELF’S WORLD, Nidea.Night, Design 360, About magazine, Liu Zhizhi / STUDIO NA.EO, Guang Yu / ABCD, Luo Fan, GUANYUANji, Hu Zi / Hu Design, nunuyu, Liu Zhao / another design, Han Wenbin / YESEYESEE, badmarkt, LITTLE HUGE PLACE, BY-ENJOY, Foreign Policy, JBQH Studio，MOOTH, SUNYAO.DESIGN, UNTITLEDMACAO, UDL Xing Chen, nichinichi, designer Lin Cunzhen, independent illustrators Lisk Feng, illustrators Cen Jun, Chambers Fine Art, artists Guo Hongwei, artists Li Shurui, photographer Taca Sui, calligrapher Cui Xuelu, designer Tan Long / travel brand Now Go, DUO Coffee (NYC), FLOHAUS (NYC), and more.

△CHINA NEW DESIGN installation view: products from NOWGO

△CHINA NEW DESIGN installation view: works from calligrapher Cui Xuelu

△CHINA NEW DESIGN installation view: products from Pechoin

△CHINA NEW DESIGN installation view: products from ELF’S WORLD

Featured Section | "The Other Shore": Emerging Directors' New Wave Showcase from China Academy of Art

The young directors, Tu Qiang, Mo Xiaolin, Lao Xiaowu, Ye Ruixi, Li Zehao, Guo Xiaoruo, Tang Lihao, Shui Yuan, Tang Ruihong, He Chaohong, and Jiao Binghao, come from the School of Animation and Games and the School of Film at the China Academy of Art. Their works have recently won multiple international awards, including "Best Music Video" at the ‌MIT Global AI Film Hack‌, as they explore a new syntax between AI creation, digital technology, and hand‑drawn frames, searching for their own narrative rhythm amid the global flood of images.

This is honest self expression from a group of young people. They question through their images: In this age of speed, what can a slower gaze see? In a world of blurred boundaries, what does one's own cultural position mean? They grew up in the digital era, yet they have not severed ties with tradition.

Featured Section | Nidea.Night: China's Most Distinctive Independent Design Label

Independent designer Hong Xuebin founded the brand "Nidea.Night" in Xiamen in 2021. The brand's philosophy is "No idea, No light”, meaning that without ideas, everything is dim. Nidea.Night focuses on fun, playful, and creative living and making, transforming life’s inspirations into tangible objects.

In an open and relaxed way, the brand continuously collaborates with creators from different fields, using chapter‑based collective creation to launch unconventional co-designed products, such as Electric Lamp, Air Screen, Fire Candle, Water Cylinder, Strength Holder, and more.

Collaborating design brands: Design 360, About magazine, Liu Zhizhi / STUDIO NA.EO, Guang Yu / ABCD, Luo Fan, GUANYUANji, Hu Zi / Hu Design, nunuyu, Liu Zhao / another design, Han Wenbin / YESEYESEE, badmarkt, LITTLE HUGE PLACE, BY-ENJOY, Foreign Policy, JBQH Studio, MOOTH, SUNYAO.DESIGN, UNTITLEDMACAO, UDL Xing Chen, nichinichi.

△CHINA NEW DESIGN installation view: products from Nidea.Night

Healing Art / US Premiere | Ru Hua: Mountains and Seas – The Superpower and Innocent Heart of Legendary Designer Jia Wei

As the chairman of LKK Design and China’s first designer to have won five international design awards, including the Red Dot and iF Design Awards, Jia Wei has long been deeply immersed in the fields of design and innovation, consistently approaching challenges with a rational mindset to analyze and solve complex problems.

In 2018, having weathered a personal low point, Jia Wei picked up his brush once again to return to painting, openly connecting with the softest, purest core of his inner self. In recent years, he has focused on exploring art therapy, breaking away from art’s traditional role as mere spectacle to transform it into an emotional refuge, a companion for the soul, and a spiritual bond that connects us all.

Spanning painting, sculpture, installation, digital and technological forms, he continues to expand the artistic language of Ru Hua, reflecting everyone's fragility, loss, transformation, and rebirth. Art is never about escaping reality; it is the power to restart oneself and embrace the world. Even in the depths of a low point, one can still carry warmth in their heart, rise from the ashes, and grow toward the sun.

△works from Jia Wei KK

Talent Grant / US Launch | Global Youth Design Challenge

"Less, but better”, seeking the Next Generation of Design

As global design gradually moves toward sustainability and long-term thinking, design is shifting from a narrow focus on function and form to addressing social issues and future lifestyles. How to establish order amid complexity and maintain clarity in multiple contexts has become a core question contemporary design must confront.

Co-launched by the BCAF-Pechoin Eastern Heritage Art Fund and the rams foundation (Germany), the Global Youth Design Challenge officially kicked off in Hong Kong in May 2026, with a global open call running through September 30, 2026.

Inspired by the design philosophy of German industrial design master Dieter Rams, this year's challenge adopts the theme "Less, but better." The initiative aims to support the growth of young designers worldwide, foster dialogue and integration between Eastern and Western aesthetics, and explore genuine pathways for design transformation within social contexts.

△Exterior view of the exhibition venue: The Sunken Garden (a Japanese-style sunken garden) designed by Isamu Noguchi, a Japanese-American master sculptor; sculptures by Isamu Noguchi

△Exhibition Venue

Media Contact
Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation (BCAF)
Email: jiawen.luo@bcaf.org.cn
(Please specify: Media Name + Gyantse Tibetan Rug Project Collaboration)