Tifo hanging on the Finlandia Building
Venue of the Exhibition “Art and Peace”
Finland, which has entered summer, is enjoying the most pleasant season of the year in Northern Europe. In Finlandia Hall, the landmark of Finland located in the center of the capital Helsinki, a feast of contemporary art from China has also arrived along with the beautiful sunshine. In June 29th, the “Perception of China·Art and Peace—Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition”, sponsored by State Council Information Office of China and undertaken by China Artists Association, opened in Finlandia Hall, showing Chinese culture to Finnish and European audiences in the language of art and conveying the message of art and peace in the eyes of Chinese artists. Deputy Secretary of Party Leadership Group and Vice Secretary-General of the China Artists Association went to Finland for the exhibition layout and other preparation work.
The exhibition has been included in the “Experience China” series of State Council Information Office. Since last year’s debut in Denmark, China Artists Association’s “Chinese Art World Tour” has once again come to the Nordic countries for display and exchange. The Chinese works on display are mostly from the previous Beijing Biennales and, in order to further improve the quality of the exhibition, some famous contemporary Chinese artists have also been invited to the show. The 40 pieces of traditional Chinese painting, oil painting, print, sculpture, watercolor, lacquer painting, mixed media and various art forms have vivid interpreted the peace-loving Chinese values, and Chinese people’s unremitting pursuit of peace and harmonious life. Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily, Guangming Daily, CCTV, Helsinki News, Times Globe and many other important mainstream media at home and abroad have paid close attention to and reported the exhibition.
On the opening day, Cui Yuying, Vice Minister of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the CPC and Deputy Director of the State Council Information Office, Zhang Yanbin, Director of the Foreign Promotion Bureau of Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the CPC, and others drove to the Finlandia Hall for the exhibition. Cui Yuying, Vice Minister and other leaders, accompanied by Tao Qin, Deputy Secretary General, appreciated the artworks with great interest. After listening to a detailed introduction of the subjects and the creation backgrounds by Ms. Tao Qin, they deepened their understanding of the works, asked a series of questions, and praised the artworks. After the visit, the Vice Minister spoke highly of the works of art exhibition for their sophisticated executions, high artistic levels, professional displaying forms, and outstanding presentations, regarded the exhibition as a major highlight of the “Perception of China” series. She encouraged China Artists Association to continue following President Xi Jinping and the CPC Central Committee’s instructions on the prosperity and development of culture and art, serving the people with fine arts and promoting the excellent traditional Chinese culture to the whole world. At the same time, she also suggested more in-depth cooperation with China Artists Association and closer contact with the “Perception of China” project in order to realize the complementary advantages of resources, working together to promote the “going out” of Chinese culture.
Vice minister Cui Yuying(1st person on the right) visiting the exhibition in the company of the vice secretary-general Tao Qin(2nd person on the right)
Vice minister Cui Yuying talking with the vice secretary-general Tao Qin
Chinese ambassador to Finland Chen Li also took the time to visit the exhibition with his wife. About the exhibits, Ambassador Chen Li commented that some of the works expressed the China’s contemporary spirit with rich Chinese elements, and some of the works focused on highlighting the permanent pursuit of the harmony between man and nature of the Chinese nation. Chinese artists’ observation and expression of reality are consistent with the values shared by all mankind, so they can arouse resonance of audiences in different countries. He said that in the future the Embassy would fully support the “Chinese Art World Tour” project and strive to promote deeper art exchanges between China and Finland.
Ambassador Chen Li(right) visiting the exhibition with his wife(left)
The Finnish audience has always been very enthusiastic about art exhibitions, and this particular exhibition has attracted a large number of visitors of Finland. Mr. Matt asked the staff at the closing time because he would like to visit here again with his wife and family, sharing the striking impact of Chinese art. Mr. Ojala, a full-time photographer, accompanied two presidents of Finland to visit China and photographed inside the tunnels of the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an. Therefore, he was deeply impressed by the oil painting “Guardians of China” themed the Terracotta Warriors, and his thoughts immediately returned to his good time in China. Ms. Lisa, Professor at University of Helsinki, had a strong emotional connection with the mixed media work “Erosion of the Mountain”. She felt an intense visual impact from the picture, saying that the theme of expression coincided with the long-standing environmental philosophy of the Finnish people. And some audience said that, after seeing the sculpture “Fritters with Cream”, they hoped to go to China immediately and have a taste of the delicious Chinese fried dough sticks.
Finnish Spectators visiting the exhibition
Finish spectators visiting the exhibition with children in the bassinet
In this exhibition, some works depict the colorful and harmonious ethnic customs, such as Liu Dawei’s freehand brushwork “Market Day of The Yi People”, Wu Tuanliang’s Chinese painting “Scene of the Battle”, Yin Huili’s dried ink painting “The Family Series 7”, revealing the cultural commonness of the Chinese nation and the return to the ontology consciousness under the Chinese cultural pedigree while highlighting the national characteristics; some record historical moments, such as Wu Weishan’s sculpture “Harmony between Man and Nature-Lao Zi”, Li Xiangqun’s “The Traveller”, Tian Linhai’s Chinese painting “The South Confucius Temple in the Misty Rain”, etc., reproducing the construction and revival of the Chinese history and Chinese culture with the rich and colorful artistic language; some reflect artists’ concern for reality, such as Yan Ping’s oil painting, “I was A Man”, Li Lihong’s sculpture “McDonald’s-China”, Lu Zengkang’s sculpture “Insomnia” and so on, revealing the changes of social spirit in this historical process from various angles; some represent the urban landscape, such as Lu Jin’s woodcarving “Urban Beauty”, Chen Gang’s sculpture “Concerto”, Peng Wei’s “ Besieged” and so on, displaying the urban humanistic landscape decorated with modern science and technology and fashion; some concern about ecology such as Xu Li’s oil painting “Home”, Xu Jiang’s watercolor painting, “Reeds, 1”, Luo Zhinan’s oil painting “Chopsticks Tree” and so on, calling for people to protect the ecological environment, and maintain and build a common home for human survival. These works are not only an epitome of Chinese contemporary art, but also a reflection of the previous themes of Beijing Biennale, gradually presenting a common theme in a panorama: the longing for peace and the love for our home Earth.
Finish spectators taking photos
Finnish Spectators visiting the exhibition
Finnish Spectators leaving messages about the feeling
Vice secretary-general Tao Qin accepting the interview of the supreme Finnish video land
It is worth mentioning that the Finlandia Hall, a masterpiece of the prestigious Finnish architect Alvar Aalto completed in the late 70s, is Helsinki’s most important exhibition venue. It has witnessed numerous significant meetings that once affected the world, and is indeed a monument in the hearts of the Finnish people. This internationally renowned legendary building makes a perfect match for the high standards of the exhibition.
Since the launch of the “Art and Peace" international tour last year by China Artists Association, the exhibition has been successfully held in Copenhagen, Denmark, the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium and Rome, Italy, which publicized the Beijing Biennale brand. The theme of peace advocated by it also conformed to the common aspiration of the international community today, sending comfort to people who had suffered from the threat of violent terrorist acts and arousing warm response from the public. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the independence of Finland, and President Xi Jinping made a state visit to Finland some time ago. The two sides agreed to expand and deepen cooperation in various fields and establish a new cooperative partnership for the future. Therefore, the exhibition has significance in many ways. China Artists Association would take the exhibition as an opportunity to continue showing the thriving development of China’s contemporary art, using art to promote the concept of peace advocated by the Chinese nation, publicizing the brand of Beijing Biennale, strengthening the cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and Finland as well as China and Europe through the “Belt and Road” project, showcasing our cultural confidence, and bringing the friendly relationship between China and Finland to a new stage.
