In 2008, French critic and curator Jérôme Sans arrived as UCCA's first director, taking steps to open the center to a larger public with bold, popular exhibitions by key Chinese and international figures including Yan Pei-ming, Mona Hatoum, Qiu Zhijie, Olafur Eliasson, Liu Xiaodong, and Wang Jianwei.

[4] Together, they introduced initiatives such as the Patrons Council, the first donor group of its kind in China, and the annual Gala and Benefit Auction, which quickly became a key source of support for UCCA's ongoing development.

In June 2017, a group of China-based investors came together to restructure UCCA, separating its commercial and non-profit functions, ensuring its long-term presence in the 798 Art District, and securing its future vision.

In 2017, UCCA Director Philip Tinari served as guest co-curator for the Guggenheim exhibition "Art and China after 1989: Theater of the World," alongside Alexandra Munroe and Hou Hanru.

][citation needed] Beginning its curatorial program with "85 New Wave: The Birth of Chinese Contemporary Art", it has presented large-scale group shows "Breaking Forecast: 8 Key Figures of China’s New Generation Artists" (2009), "ON | OFF: China’s Young Artists in Concept and Practice" (2013), and "Hans van Dijk: 5000 Names" (2014); along with solo exhibitions "Liu Xiaodong: Hometown Boy" (2010), "Wang Jianwei: Yellow Signal" (2011), "Gu Dexin: The Important Thing Is Not The Meat" (2012), "Wang Xingwei" (2013), "Xu Zhen: a MadeIn Company Production" (2014), "Liu Wei: Colors" (2015), and "Cao Fei: Staging the Era" (2021).

It has served as a platform for the works of Olafur Eliasson, Tino Sehgal, Tatsuo Miyajima, Taryn Simon, and Sterling Ruby, introducing China to these significant figures in contemporary art.

[15] In May 2014, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei accused UCCA of self-censorship when curators decided to omit his name from a public newsletter announcing the opening of an exhibition in memory of artist/curator Hans van Dijk.

"[17] In September 2017, the Guggenheim decided to pull three major works from "Art and China After 1989: Theater of the World," co-curated by Philip Tinari, after concerns over animal welfare sparked threats of violence.