It has been half a year since the Press Conference on preparation and start-up of the Beijing Biennale at the beginning of 2014. During the time, China Artists Association has been collecting works from all over the world for the 6th Beijing Biennale through different ways. Beijing Biennale Office sent brochures of the 6th Beijing Biennale to target groups, including thousands of international artists on the shortlist of past Beijing Biennales, hundreds of foreign Embassies in China and Chinese Embassies in foreign countries, dozens of foreign cultural and art organizations, tens of thousands of members of China Artists Association and hundreds of award-winning works of some representative exhibitions in China in recent years, artists on the shortlist of the 12th National Exhibition of Fine Art. Beijing Biennale Office also visited some important Embassies in China, contacted closely with members of the curator committee both home and abroad, searched for international artists on line and visited studios of Chinese artists.
Considering the requirements for works collection and the theme of the 6th Beijing Biennale “Memory and Dream”, at the invitation of the general office of “Ningxia Autonomous Region, Chairman of the China Artists Association Liu Dawei led a group of artists to Ningxia Autonomous Region—part of the ancient Silk Road to seek source materials for creation. The travel which is organized by the Vice General Secretary Tao Qin, dates from August 10th to 14th and spans from south to north. The group of artists drove thousands of kilometers in five days rain or shine to investigate important and stereotype landscape, special customs and historical relics. The journey is very successful as it achieved its intended objectives: to get source materials for art creation from the ethnic features, historical memories and homeland dreams there.
Ningxia Autonomous Region is one of the five autonomous regions in China. Lying on the upstream of the Yellow River, Ningxia Autonomous Region is one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization. It was an important cross for transportation and commerce as it is at the thoroughfare of ancient Silk Road. It enjoyed the fame of “Saishang Jiangnan”. It boasts magnificent Gobi desert, Yin Chuan plain nurtured by water from the Yellow River, Helan Mountain and Liu Pan Mountain across from south to north, Xu Ni Mountain，Huo Shizhai scattered between. It presents pre-history cliff painting and Buddha statues in grottoes in Beiwei Dynasty. Abundant landscapes of forest park and Danxia Resort and natural scroll painting with history and literature features not only depict the longstanding Xi Xia civilization, but also present unique Hui ethnic minority culture to people. Ningxia is the best choice for seeking source materials for the theme“memory and dream” of the 6th Beijing Biennale with its natural sceneries, humanistic environment and profound historical accumulation.
The group led by Chairman Liu Dawei and Vice General Secretary Tao Qin consists of more than 20 members who are from different artistic fields, including landscape painting, flower and bird painting and figure painting. They come from painting academies, art universities, art associations and other groups in Hong Kong, Macau, mainland China and some foreign countries with their ages ranging from old, middle-aged and young. They all have their own merits when it comes to academic achievements. Some members’ works had been on the shortlist of past Beijing Biennales.
Considering the characteristics of the delegation, Ningxia Autonomous Region purposely chose Shahu ecological reserve, Helan Mountains cliff painting, Na Jiahu Mosque, Yellow River-themed attractions, including Yellow River Museum and Yellow River Altar, Jing Sha Island, Sha Botou, Sumeru, Liu Pan Mountains, Long De Folk Culture Village as tailored journey which covers historical relics, Muslim culture, ecological landforms, local customs and Yellow River culture and spreads throughout Ningxia Autonomous Region. Artists overcame physical fatigue, unsettled weather, complex landforms and other difficulties. They fought against scorching sun, wind and rain and chilliness and made full use of every precious second for art creation, water ink paintings or sketches. They immersed themselves in collecting source materials by taking pictures or recording videos and totally forgot tiredness and hunger as they missed lunch and supper time again and again.
“Go down to grass-roots units and be friends with people there. To present magnificent motherland using the paintbrush, to assimilate artistic nutrition from life and to spread splendid national culture to the world is the artists’ implementation of the philosophy of 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.” Chairman Liu is quoted as saying when he talked about the importance of this activity.
China Artists Association is always keen on the development of western areas and is interested in depicting beautiful Ningxia. China Artists Association cooperated with local government in Ningxia Autonomous Region to build a platform for artists from mainland China, Hong Kong. Macau and some overseas Chinese artists to have a real-life experience of searching for ancient Silk Road history and feel close with each other. In the future, China Artists Association will invite artists from Arabic countries and other different countries from the world to come to Ningxia for source of creation. In this way, artists can portray unique local customs in their perspectives by using their own paint brushes and promote abundant natural resources and unique local manners. This activity will strengthen cross regional and international cultural exchange and communication, present beautiful Ningxia in artistic language and tell the “China Dream” of all Chinese descendants.
Wang Qiutong，Vice Chairman of Hong Kong Artists Association said that he felt honored to be invited to visit Ningxia and felt the deep connection between profound Yellow River culture and the Chinese civilization. He is enthralled by the inclusiveness and massiveness of the Mother River. He perceived solidarity and harmony in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region when he paid visits to mosques and talked with imams.
Xiao Han, resided in Germany for a long time, made a vivid comparison between Rhine River and Yellow River. Rhine River is called Father River in Germany while Yellow River is called Mother River in China. They nurture their civilization respectively and serve as the spiritual totem. Facing the Yellow River in front of him, he felt that his heart is swelled with a sudden feeling of nostalgia just like an overseas Chinese finally going back to his motherland.
Zheng Baizhong, a Chinese American who lived in America for more than 20 years, said excitedly that he was deeply moved by witnessing beautiful scenery of China and prosperity in western areas when he came to the heart of motherland China for the first time. He said he would tell what he saw and heard in Ningxia to people around him in America and would invite them to come to western areas in China to search for creation source.
CCTV-4, Xinhua News Agency, Ningxia Daily made timely video coverage and long graphic report about this activity which is picked up quickly for reproducing by a lot of media like Sohu, ifeng and China Daily.
Under the philosophy of sharing resources with western areas, seeking prosperity through cooperation, presenting and promoting abundant natural resources and local customs, displaying beautiful Ningxia with artistic language and telling the story of pursuing “China Dream” by all Chinese descendants, artists have collected more sources for creating works for the coming 6th Beijing Biennale through this Ningxia Silk Road journey. This activity can lay a foundation for further creation. Glorious Ningxia will attract more artists from home and abroad to seek sources for art creation, to create works and to depict “China Dream” of all Chinese descendants and “World Dream” of artists from all over the world.
