Speech at the Press Conference for Preparations and Launch of the 7th Beijing International Art Biennale
Zuo Zhongyi
(March 18, 2016, Beijing)
Distinguished guests, friends from the media, ladies and gentlemen:
Hello everyone! A few days ago, China’s NPC and CPPCC sessions this year ended, and the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan adopted by the sessions depicts a grand blueprint for the next five years in China. The plan proposes to improve our level of opening up, increase the intensity of Chinese and foreign cultural exchanges, and expand the space of cultural exchanges and cooperation. This once again shows China’s faith in unswervingly following the road of peaceful development. Against this background, we started preparations for the Seventh Beijing International Art Biennale. This is of special significance and our extremely favorable condition.
As a people’s organization, the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles is committed to long-term international exchange activities, and we actively organize our members of the literary and art circles to undertake lively international cultural exchange activities in various forms. We try to introduce Chinese literature and art to the world, building a platform for the Chinese people to understand the world of art, and thus promoting exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and foreign artists.
There have been six successful Beijing International Art Biennales since 2003, covering the themes of "Innovation: Contemporary and Regional," "Humanistic Concern of Contemporary Art," "Colors and Olympics," "Ecology and Home, ""Future and Reality," "Memory and Dream" and accumulating over a hundred participating countries, nearly 4,000 participating artists, nearly four thousand works on display, as well as more than a million visitors. East and West, tradition and modernity, they blend and exchange for mutual learning. The Beijing Biennale has gained wide recognition and positive response from more and more Chinese and foreign artists as unique beautiful scenery in the world of visual arts, witnessing the close exchanges and enhanced friendship between Chinese and foreign artists.
The upcoming Seventh Beijing International Art Biennale is still sponsored by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the Beijing Municipal Government and the China Artists Association. The theme of the exhibition is "The Silk Road and World’s Civilizations." We are familiar with the Silk Road. The Silk Road for thousands of years witnessed the legend of the peoples of various countries standing hand in hand overcoming difficulties, leaving an important chapter in the history of cultural exchanges and mutual learning. It was not only an important trade road, but also a road of cultural exchanges between different countries and nations, which not only benefited the peoples in countries along it, but also contributed to the progress of the world civilizations and human society. On the long stretches of the Silk Road, there are endless sceneries and tales. In a certain sense, the Silk Road itself can be seen as a comprehensive work of "visual art" created collectively by peoples of various countries against a vast background of time and space. In the eyes of artists, perhaps the Silk Road can be seen as static or dynamic scroll paintings and sculptures everywhere. Today, artists of various countries will once again gather on the Silk Road, and I believe that not only will they bring visual expression across geographical regions through the ancient and modern eras, but will show us the artistic interpretation of human contacts and exchanges in a larger scope, wider field, and deeper level, with a new chapter of integration and development of the world civilizations.
Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out, "Civilizations have become richer and more colorful with exchanges and mutual learning. Such exchanges and mutual learning form an important drive for human progress and global peace and development. “Literature and art are an effective way of mutual understanding and communication between different countries and peoples. As a universal language, the influence of fine arts goes beyond time and space, spanning across borders. Whether it is a painting or a sculpture, it can provide a unique perspective to show different civilizations. The Seventh Beijing Biennale will continue adhering to artistic ideas of building a harmonious world and respecting cultural diversities in order to carry forward academic democracy, democracy in art, and create a positive, healthy, relaxed and harmonious atmosphere for the exhibition. We promote full discussion of different views and schools on this platform, full development of artistic genres, subject matters, forms and means, and promote active innovation of artists in concept, content, style and genre of their works. I believe that the millennium Silk Road full of artistic inspiration will provide a vast space for artists to showcase their talents and learn skills from each other. We also look forward to the emergence of more and more fantastic paintings and sculptures at the exhibition, each having its own merit, exploring cultural fusion from the perspective of visual arts, to show results of blending civilizations.
Today, China is making unremitting efforts to achieve the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the nation. The Chinese dream is not just the dream of the Chinese people to pursue happiness, but also connects with the beautiful dream of all peoples. It advocates a sense of community of human destiny, an open and inclusive spirit of exchange and cooperation, and diversification of world civilization. China’s "Belt and Road" initiative that various countries work together to promote the construction of the "Silk Road Economic Belt" and the 21st Century "Marine Silk Road" has given new meaning to the Silk Road. Let’s carry on peace and cooperation, openness and tolerance, mutual learning, mutual benefit and win-win spirit of the Silk Road, to promote the prosperity of the arts and the progress of human civilization: these are the common aspiration of peace-loving people and the artists, and also the aim of the Seventh Beijing Biennial. We will take the opportunity of carrying forward the "spirit of the Silk Road," connecting ancient and modern times, things Chinese and foreign, to stick to the multi-level and wide-ranging pattern of international cultural exchanges, fully absorb the outstanding achievements of human civilization, continue to strengthen the international cultural exchange brand of the Beijing Biennale and incessantly enhance its international appeal and influence. It should be noted that exchanges and mutual learning between different civilizations are an important trend of contemporary cultural development in the world. With the Silk Road as a leading thread, we will explore the historical and cultural heritage of the Silk Road, to show the unique charm of the Silk Road, set up the new bridge of the world cultural exchanges and dialogues, "weave" the territory of paintings and sculptures of contemporary world civilization, and strive to create a beautiful blueprint of "culturally inclusive community of interests, community of responsibility and community of destiny based on political trust and economic integration" as artists’ noble mission. We expect Chinese artists to tell Chinese stories well to the outside world, the story of the Silk Road with their colorful brush, disseminating Chinese aesthetic spirit, showcasing the tremendous progress in Chinese society today and a new look of the people. They will show adequate character and historical accountability of Chinese art workers with outstanding works in Chinese style. We also expect foreign artists to find inspiration from the Silk Road, demonstrating on this platform of the Beijing Biennale the artists’ perception and understanding of civilizations, sharing spiritual experience and artistic attainments of different ethnic groups, in an effort to further consolidate the cooperation and friendship of international art world and make new contributions to the prosperity and development of art in the world, the common progress of human civilization and the peace and development of the world.
Thank you all.
