As I wander through a vibrant art landscape, the question posed by Chinese gallerist Zhang Wei resonates deeply: What is a gallery? We stroll along a raised platform that encircles a lush garden and a tranquil lily pond nestled within a once-abandoned park located just outside Guangzhou. This picturesque setting is home to Vitamin Creative Space, an international art venue that Wei co-founded with her partner Hu Fang in 2002. The space is a celebration of contemporary art viewed through a Chinese lens, a philosophy that Wei and Fang have passionately cultivated over the years.

Ten years ago, a serendipitous opportunity arose when a real estate developer friend proposed a deal on some semi-abandoned land in an old agricultural park. From this suggestion, the innovative concept of a gallery that also serves as a garden was born, giving rise to what is now known as the Mirrored Gardens. Interestingly, despite its name, there are no mirrors in sight; instead, the garden is an eclectic mix of vibrant palm trees and a series of multicolored buildings, some featuring cement faades adorned with shells, a design inspired by prominent Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto.

Central to the vision of Mirrored Gardens is the unique collaboration with Danh V, a Vietnam-born Danish artist whose works delve into themes of identity, memory, and belonging. Over the past decade, Wei and Fang have worked closely with V, who is renowned for his conceptual art. His recent projects often unfold at Gldenhof, his creative sanctuary located on a former East German farm collective near Berlin, where he has transformed the grounds into a dynamic outdoor art space filled with thoughtfully designed gardens, greenhouses, and interactive sculptures.

As Wei and Fang embarked on the creation of Mirrored Gardens, V was busy reshaping Gldenhof into a vibrant collaborative hub, working with local artisans, builders, and his dedicated gardener Christine Schulz. Gldenhof was a lightbulb moment for me, V reflects, noting how the farm catalyzed his creative process. It has evolved into a space for collaboration and an organic platform for creativity to flourish.

Inspired by his experiences at Gldenhof, Wei and Fang decided to bring some of those transformative ideas back to China. Wei articulates this exchange of ideas beautifully, stating, We learned from Danh that running a gallery is about an exchange of ideas and values. Their connection to V culminated in the decision to host a pavilion piece by the artist and later a unique installation featuring a tree root and a bamboo birdcage in a nearby site that was semi-abandoned. This sparked the concept of a long-term project to establish a counterpart to Gldenhof called Re-space. This new initiative includes wooden pavilions, Noguchi lamps, and translucent roofs set within the natural landscape of Mirrored Gardens.

Re-space is designed as an experimental garden and nursery, bordered on three sides by new pathways and platforms that interconnect various ruins remnants of the buildings that once served as the administrative offices for the agricultural park. The first time V visited Re-space, he expressed amazement at the transformation and dedication Wei and Fang had poured into the project, asking, What kind of gallerist would make this kind of effort? Now, he makes it a point to return several times a year to plant new life and continue evolving the space.

During my visit, I find V working diligently in the garden, his hands covered in dirt as he tends to a variety of plants, including one of his favorites, a fern-like plant known as Pretty Dragons Tongue. He leads me to an area featuring an old ruin that has been outfitted with a wooden terrace and a cluster of bamboo chairs. Nearby, thick vines twist through the walls of another smaller concrete ruin, reminiscent of the ancient temples at Angkor Wat. Fang describes it as a space as a vase, V explains, highlighting the artistic installations that echo the surrounding nature. He appreciates Weis dedication to educating potential collectors about his work, often advising them to understand his art deeply before considering a purchase. In some cases, this has meant waiting several years for a piece, or suggesting they should buy a farm or grow their own, he notes.

Later in our day, Wei takes me to another hidden gem within the park, where one of the newest installations lies concealed among dense jungle foliage. Here, a small kitchen awaits, where V delights in preparing his favorite Vietnamese dishes for visiting artists, friends, and collectors. As we share bowls of steaming pho, Wei explains that the park's owner, a friend of theirs, has embraced a more fluid vision for the space. I told him, Come on, its nature, you cant make boundaries, she laughs. We still dont know what we are doing here, but I prefer not to define it too tightly. We see ourselves as gardeners, and our gallery as an invitation, or a borrowed landscape, rather than a fixed entity.

The following day, V prepares to travel to Hong Kong for another project at the M+ Museum, a contemporary art institution located in the burgeoning West Kowloon Cultural District. The museum, a monumental 18-story structure spanning 700,000 square feet, was crafted by the acclaimed architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron. It features a remarkable subterranean area known as Found Space, which was initially left undefined after the museum's completion. The original idea was to replicate something akin to the Tate Moderns Turbine Hall, but after extensive discussions, the M+ team chose a different pathone that involved collaborating with an artist to redefine this unique space.

Doryun Chong, the museums artistic director and chief curator, identified V as the ideal artist for this ambitious undertaking. Danh embodies this moment in the 21st century, much like Isamu Noguchi did in the previous one, he says. For V, the challenge of redefining an undefined space within a cultural institution situated in a politically evolving world was a compelling opportunity. Instead of viewing it as a useless space, I recognized it as a laboratorya place where architecture, exhibitions, performances, and design can converge, he explains. The museum plans to collaborate with V long-term, allowing the ideas first nurtured at Gldenhof and Mirrored Gardens to flourish at M+.

As Vs imagination takes root, he is also planning to establish a bazaar within the museum space, working closely with the M+ curators. Though some team members have expressed concerns about how to execute this unconventional vision, Chong has grown accustomed to the side-eye responses that Vs innovative proposals often elicit. Whats exhilarating about the projects emerging here in Asia is that new paradigms are being formed, he emphasizes. This is what Found Space representsa platform for experimentation and rule-breaking.

Reflecting on his artistic journey, V concludes, Ive been fortunate to showcase my work early in my career. Im no longer focused on shipping large artworks globally or creating massive sculptures. My interest lies in posing questions, rethinking systems, and actively participating in a dialogue about what cultural spaces should look like in the future.