One of China’s most renowned female architect’s, Xu Tiantian, whose work has transformed rural communities across China, has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 MECCA x NGV Women in Design Commission, a major series inviting globally renowned designers to create groundbreaking new work for the NGV Collection.
Based in Beijing, Xu’s practice uses architecture to revitalise rural and regional Chinese provinces, helping to protect their economies, cultural heritage and social wellbeing. Coining the term ‘architectural acupuncture’, referencing traditional Chinese medicine, Xu uses precise, seamless interventions to transform underutilised infrastructure and buildings. Recent projects include transforming a series of abandoned stone quarries into multi-purpose arts venues, and building a theatre stage within a bamboo forest, to facilitate village opera performances and as a site for meditation.
Enticing visitors from across China and abroad, these projects fuse architecture with landscape creating distinctive destinations for music, art and performance. Her holistic design approach emphasises local participation and engagement, empowering communities by championing their practices and resources, and fostering a sense of continuity and care in China’s built environment. This approach, acknowledged by the United Nations as a model for strengthening urban-rural linkages, results in impactful projects that preserve heritage and revitalise local communities and their identities.
For the fifth MECCA x NGV Women in Design Commission, Xu will present Bamboo Theatre, a full scale installation that draws on the landscape and material knowledge of Songyang County, a mountainous region of the Zhejiang Province where dense bamboo forest borders local villages and terraced tea plantations. Handcrafted from locally sourced bamboo, this new work captures the enduring use of bamboo in contemporary architecture and offers a space for gathering and contemplation.
Event Details:
Dates: 13 Dec 26 – Apr 27
Location: NGV International
Notes: FREE