Deifying Myth-MET2026 in Beijing

This summer, the highly anticipated on-site residency creation program of the Metaverse Exploration Team reconvened in Beijing. Centering on Chinese mythology, young art creators embarked on a cross-culture journey featuring the collision of traditional cultural heritage and contemporary art. As scheduled, the exhibition of works created during the event, namely the contemporary art exhibition “Deifying Myth”, kicked off at the Dodo Gallery on the third floor of Jinbaohui Shopping Center on July 11^th 2026. Open to the public for two weeks, the exhibition showcases the innovative expressions and new vitality of cultural inheritance embodied by young MET artists.

As a featured brand event dedicated to youth creators, the MET Residency is convened by senior curator NanaBee. It brings together outstanding young art creators and continuously builds an interactive, co-creative and symbiotic experience platform for young people and society in the digital era. Breaking geographical barriers, the program enables young people from diverse cultural backgrounds to conduct in-depth exchanges and collaborative creation through the bridge of art.

Centering on the core theme of “mythology”, this year’s event delves into the essence of fine traditional Chinese culture and breaks free from conventional creation frameworks. From a youthful perspective, participants reconstruct the aesthetics of mythology and interpret the beauty of traditional culture, infusing the millennia-old mythological heritage with brand-new vitality in the new era.

To root artistic creation in profound cultural heritage, the event arranged well-designed on-site research and field study sessions. During the activity, young creators visited iconic cultural landmarks in Beijing including the Temple of Heaven and various imperial temples, immersing themselves in the city’s profound cultural accumulation, folk traditions and mythological traces. By appreciating the architectural forms, aesthetic features and totem patterns of ancient buildings, as well as time-honored mythological stories and folk implications, young creators gained firsthand insight into the profoundness of traditional Chinese culture. They drew creative inspiration from the experience and integrated their artistic cognition and innovative thinking to create cultural and artistic works with distinctive contemporary aesthetic characteristics.

Compared with previous sessions, this year’s event places greater emphasis on the professionalism and modern transformation of artistic creation. All young creators participating in the event have received professional academic training. Through joint exploration, they are encouraged to deeply integrate traditional mythological imagery and ancient architectural cultural heritage with contemporary artistic techniques and metaverse innovative thinking. Breaking away from rigid cultural expression modes, they reinterpret ancient myths with a modern perspective through diverse artistic forms including painting, installation art, cultural and creative design, and comprehensive art.

According to curator NanaBee, the contemporary art exhibition launched at Beijing Dodo Gallery serves as the core concluding session of this year’s MET art event. Free and open to the public, the exhibition displays more than 80 works in total, including pieces completed during the short-term on-site research and collaborative creation, as well as selected representative works by individual creators. It fully presents the artistic achievements of cross-border co-creation by young artists.

Through immersive intensive creation and open exhibitions, the event demonstrates the innovative vitality of traditional culture to the public. Meanwhile, it empowers young people to contribute to global peace and development through cultural integration and artistic exchanges.

Against the backdrop of growing popularization of artificial intelligence, art, as a carrier of human ideological expression and cultural symbol, still relies on the participation of professional and creative young talents. The myth-themed art exhibition not only builds a high-quality platform for young people to showcase their talents and engage in academic exchanges, but also revitalizes traditional mythological culture through youthful and innovative approaches. It facilitates the inheritance of Chinese cultural heritage, sets a benchmark for industrial development, and injects new impetus into economic growth.