郅敏(中国)Zhi Min(China)
双生·龙马 / 2011 / 雕塑 / 90厘米×180厘米×95厘米
Twins·Dragon and Horse / 2011 / sculpture / 90cm×180cm×95cm
2012第五届北京双年展作品
Works of the 5th Beijing Biennale, 2012

    China Artists Association is dedicated to the promotion of China’s cultural confidence and has gained fruitful results, and the Beijing International Art Biennale, established in 2002, has played a key role in this process. For the past decade, the Beijing Biennale has constantly invited worldwide artists and theorists to join the gala, and the participating countries have increased from an initial over 40 countries to the present over 100 countries. So far, the Beijing Biennale has successfully reached out to more than 130 countries and there have been more than 4,000 artists from different countries bringing their works with unique artistic charm to the exhibition. The Beijing Biennale is a platform shared by all. During the exhibition and cultural communication, artists abroad expressed their keen interest in various facets of China. Therefore, this platform has also provided a great opportunity to let the voice of Chinese art circles be heard, thus contributing to the strengthening of cultural confidence and consciousness. 
    In May 2017, the “Belt and Road” Forum for International Cooperation was held in Beijing, and just four months later, the 7th Beijing International Art Biennale with the theme on “The Silk Road and World Civilizations ” is about to kick off in September—there is a beautiful resonance generated between the two events, that is, the Beijing Biennale, in the media of works of paintings and sculptures from over 100 countries, is an artistic and visual interpretation of the forum focusing on the Silk Road spirit and world civilizations. They are differentiated in form yet consistent in content. 
     China’s art scene in the last two years has seen the trend of cultural connotation of the Silk Road and the dialogue between the past and the present becoming source of inspiration for artists. With a main focus on easel painting and sculpture and the goal of arousing new thinking on the regions and the globe, culture and history, art and era, the 7th Beijing Biennale has set “The Silk Road and World Civilizations” as the theme, which will bring the Chinese fashion to the world spotlight. Hence, various ideas will be colliding drastically in a broader space while the Chinese culture will be better known to the world. 
    The world today has been undergoing deep changes on political and economic landscapes and is witnessing a new trend of cultural exchanges and fusion between the East and the West. In turn, cultures in themselves will get enriched through communication and mutual learning, and this is especially true in the field of art. The Beijing Biennale takes contemporary and regional art as its cultural characteristics and the practice it advocates is to analyze, study and selectively recognize the avant-garde art while at the same time digging into, inheriting and actively exploring the traditional art. 
   Up to now, the Beijing Biennale has attracted wide interest and attention from the international art circles and, by building its own brand that is distinguished from the West, it has also taken a place on the world stage. What makes the Beijing Biennale stand out among other biennales is its independent academic orientation, which can be exemplified by the selection and evaluation mechanism as an embodiment of Chinese aesthetics, and for that, it has also earned international acclaim. Quite a few artists who have attended the exhibition think that the Beijing Biennale is a distinctive exhibition featuring an emphasis on the classical art forms of contemporary paintings and sculptures, which has given a strong impetus to the art market, the cooperation on art between different countries as well as personal development of artists. 
     On the special and significant occasion of the 15th anniversary, the 7th Beijing Biennale stands out as a grand exhibition for China Artists Association, the Beijing Municipal Government and China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. It is the first international art exhibition in China to take the “Silk Road” as the theme which enjoys a broad involvement of over 100 countries. Driven by the Belt and Road Initiative—a refreshing Oriental wind, the 7th Beijing Biennale will surely draw worldwide attention and win recognition and acclaim from not only the art circles at home and abroad but all sectors of society alike.

Xu Li 
Secretary of  Party Leadership Group, 
Executive Vice Chairman and Secretary General of China Artists Association 
Chief Curator of the Beijing Biennale