Hive Center for Contemporary Art

What Hive Center for Contemporary Art does

Hive Center for Contemporary Art is a privately held contemporary art gallery founded in 2013 by director Xia Jifeng (夏季风) in Beijing's 798 Art Zone. It operates as a commercial gallery and cultural institution, representing Chinese and international contemporary artists and selling their works to private collectors, museums, and foundations. The gallery's business model is one-time sales of artwork, supported by direct client relationships and participation in major international art fairs including Art Basel Hong Kong, Frieze Seoul, ART021, ART SG Singapore, JINGART Beijing, and DnA Shenzhen. A secondary, non-core revenue stream derives from entrance fees at gallery front desks.

The institution operates three physical spaces: a flagship in Beijing's 798 Art Zone of over 4,000 square meters with five international-standard exhibition halls; Hive | Shanghai, housed in the historic 1924 Zhongyi Building on the Bund; and Hive Becoming | Shanghai, an independent ~300 square meter space dedicated to the Hive Becoming (HBP) program for emerging artists. The HBP program, initiated in 2013, has produced over 60 numbered exhibitions focused on young Chinese artists and represents a long-running curatorial pipeline. Hive Center also publishes catalogues and artist monographs and collaborates with major institutions such as Long Museum on co-organized exhibitions.

Hive Center's go-to-market combines physical exhibition-driven sales, a digital presence across WeChat, Weibo, Instagram, and Facebook, and a dedicated international programming function established in October 2024. Marketing and outreach are anchored by curated solo and group exhibitions, with a forward calendar extending into 2026. The gallery has no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and no public revenue or headcount disclosures.

Name

Hive Center for Contemporary Art

Legal name

Hive Center for Contemporary Art

Website

https://hiveart.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hive Center for Contemporary Art is a Beijing-founded contemporary art gallery (est. 2013) with flagship spaces in Beijing's 798 Art Zone and Shanghai's Bund, representing Chinese and international artists and selling works to collectors and institutions via exhibitions and international art fairs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Art Gallery

NAICS

Art Dealers (459920), Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Art Museums (THAJADAA), Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN), Arts, Crafts & Maker Fairs (MPAGAFAJ)

Keywords

• Contemporary art gallery
• Artist representation
• Art exhibition curation
• Art fair participation
• Art collection sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Art Sales: Primary revenue through direct sales of contemporary artworks represented by the gallery. The gallery represents Chinese and international artists and sells their works to collectors and institutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hive Center for Contemporary Art is a commercial gallery and cultural institution that represents Chinese and international contemporary artists, exhibits their work in three physical gallery spaces (Beijing 798 Art Zone and Shanghai Bund), and sells artworks to collectors and institutions. The gallery operates the Hive Becoming Projects (HBP) sequential exhibition series dedicated to young artists, participates in international art fairs, and publishes exhibition catalogues and artist monographs.

Product overview

Hive Center for Contemporary Art operates as a contemporary art gallery and exhibition space with three main physical locations: Hive | Beijing (in the 798 Art Zone), Hive | Shanghai (in the historic Bund area), and Hive Becoming Shanghai (a separate space for young artist projects). The organization also runs the Hive Becoming (HBP) project series dedicated to nurturing young artists. In addition to exhibitions, the gallery offers publications documenting artistic practices and participates in international art fairs. Founded in 2013 by Director Xia Jifeng, it is recognized as one of China's most influential contemporary art institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hive Becoming (蜂巢·生成): A project initiated in 2013 dedicated to supporting young artists, cultivating new creative forces, and later expanded to include the Hive Becoming independent space in Shanghai for young Chinese artists globally.

Products and services

• Hive | Beijing Flagship Beijing gallery space located in the 798 Art Zone, spanning over 4,000 square meters in a converted factory building with five international-standard exhibition halls and a main exhibition hall with 8-11 meter ceiling heights. Hosts solo and group exhibitions of contemporary Chinese and international artists.
• Hive | Shanghai Gallery space housed in the Zhongyi Building (First Trust Co. Building) at 270 East Beijing Road in Shanghai's Bund historical district, a century-old building representing a blend of neoclassical and modernist architectural styles. Hosts exhibitions of contemporary artists.
• Hive Becoming Projects (HBP) Sequential exhibition series (HBP I through HBP LX+) dedicated to discovering and showcasing young artists, including the Hive Becoming | Shanghai independent space at 211 East Beijing Road for young Chinese artists globally. The 60th+ iteration reflects sustained programming since 2013.
• Publications Catalogues and publications documenting exhibitions and artistic practices, including artist monographs and exhibition catalogues spanning from 2010 to 2025.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered notable.

• China Academy of Art School of Intermedia Art (中国美院跨媒体艺术学院)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Hive Center for Contemporary Art and the China Academy of Art School of Intermedia Art jointly launched an AI art project, including a call for artwork submissions. This collaboration represents the gallery's engagement with emerging technology in art creation.
• Sarah Qing MarkovitznotableOthers · 1 October 2024Appointed as Director of International Programming to strengthen Hive Center's global outreach and international exchange efforts.
• Long Museum (龙美术馆)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Hive Center collaborates with Long Museum on artist exhibitions, including co-organizing major solo exhibitions for represented artists such as Duan Jianwei and Huang Yuxing at Long Museum's West Bund location.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Long Museum (龙美术馆): Founded by collectors Liu Yiqian and Wang Wei, Long Museum operates major museum spaces in Shanghai (West Bund and Pudong) and is one of China's most influential private contemporary art institutions. While primarily a museum rather than a commercial gallery, Long Museum is a strategic partner of Hive and shapes the same collector and institutional ecosystem.
• Pace Gallery: Global contemporary art gallery founded in 1960 with spaces in New York, London, Hong Kong, Seoul, Geneva, and Tokyo. Pace represents major international artists and is a benchmark for gallery scale and international art fair participation; comparable to Hive for its multi-city Asian strategy and museum-grade exhibitions.
• Hauser & Wirth: International contemporary and modern art gallery founded in 1992 with spaces in Zurich, London, New York, Somerset, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Gstaad, and St. Moritz. Hauser & Wirth's Hong Kong presence participates in Art Basel Hong Kong and competes for the same cross-border collector base as Hive.
• Perrotin: Paris-based international contemporary art gallery with locations in Paris, New York, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, Dubai, and Los Angeles. Perrotin operates a Shanghai space and participates in the same international art fairs (Art Basel HK, Frieze Seoul) as Hive, making it a comparable cross-border commercial gallery.
• White Cube: Major international contemporary art gallery founded in 1993 with spaces in London, Hong Kong, Seoul, Paris, and New York. White Cube's Hong Kong and Seoul galleries compete for the same Asian collector base and art fair visibility as Hive, particularly in the Frieze Seoul and Art Basel Hong Kong circuits.
• UCCA (Ullens Center for Contemporary Art): Beijing-based contemporary art museum and exhibition space in the 798 Art Zone, founded in 2007. UCCA operates exhibition programming, retail store UCCA Store, and commercial activities in the same Beijing 798 ecosystem as Hive Beijing and is comparable as a hybrid cultural/commercial institution.
• Gagosian: World's largest contemporary art gallery network founded in 1980 with 19+ spaces globally. Gagosian's Hong Kong and Paris outposts are direct competitors for top-tier Chinese contemporary artists and compete with Hive at international art fairs for global collector attention.

Direct peers

• Tang Contemporary Art: One of China's largest and most established contemporary art galleries, with spaces in Beijing 798, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Seoul. Tang Contemporary is the closest direct Chinese competitor, representing both established and emerging Chinese contemporary artists and participating in major international art fairs.
• Star Gallery (星空间): Beijing-based contemporary art gallery located in the 798 Art Zone representing Chinese contemporary artists including emerging and mid-career talents. Star Gallery shares Hive's 798 neighborhood, similar artist roster profile (Chinese contemporary, mix of established and emerging), and comparable exhibition cadence.

Regional players

• Power Station of Art: China's first state-funded contemporary art museum, located in Shanghai and housed in a former power station. Comparable to Hive Shanghai as a Shanghai-based contemporary art institution serving overlapping audiences of Chinese contemporary art enthusiasts, though operating as a public museum rather than a commercial gallery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hiveartcenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/hivecontemporaryart
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hive-center-for-contemporary-art

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hive Center for Contemporary Art