A celebration organized for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Germany, Looking Far with a Broad Mind: the group exhibition featuring works by Chinese artists who have studied in Germany recently commenced at the National Center for the Performing Arts. The exhibition intends to present a panoramic view of the fruitful artistic achievements of Chinese artists who used to study and live in Germany since the reform and opening up, through a systematic and academic review. It highlights works of 40 Chinese artists who have learned in Germany from different visual arts fields, which provides the public with an opportunity to learn the process of how this group of artists have thought and explored during the epochal development amid the cultural and artistic exchanges between China and Germany, while integrating the artistic advantages of the two countries.
Exhibition View
The works on display in this exhibition cover painting, sculpture, design, architecture, new media art and other fields, with a total of over 100 creations. These include Yang Qi’s “Associating”, Xu Jiang’s “Sunflower Garden”, Tan Ping’s “Untitled” series, Zhu Jinshi’s “The Withering Age is Blooming”, Deng Guoyuan’s “In the Garden” series, Zhou Chunya’s “Longmian Villa”, Zhang Xiaogang’s “Light No. 3”, Ma Lu’s “Awareness”, Wang Xiaohui’s “Kiss of Art”, Shan Fan’s “Slow Works” series, Wang Xiaosong’s “Crossing the Beach”, Liu Ye’s “Bamboo Composition No. 4”, Ren Rong’s “Genesis”, Li Jiwei’s “Gene Series” and Miao Xiaochun’s “Restart” series and other creations with distinctive styles, and the exhibition also shows the important achievements of Wang Min, He Jianping, Teng Fei, Lin Cunzhen, He Wei, etc. in the fields of art design and architectural design.
Scan the QR code, visitors can view the exhibition online.
It is sponsored by the China-Germany Friendship Association, the National Center for the Performing Arts, and the China International Cultural Communication Center, undertaken by the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Century Masters (Beijing) Culture Communication Co., Ltd., sponsored by CATL, Allianz Group, and Adidas Sports (China) Co., Ltd.. Fan Di’an, President of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and Chairman of the China Artists Association, serves as the curator.
Xu Jiang, “Sunflower Garden”, Watercolor on paper, 66×48cm×16, 2020 Tan Ping, “Untitled”, Acrylic on canvas, 200×300cm, 2016
Tan Ping, “Untitled”, Acrylic on canvas, 200×300cm, 2016
Yang Qi, “Associating”, acrylic on canvas, 200×300cm, 2019
Zhu Jinshi, “The Withering Age Is Blooming”, Oil on canvas, 180×160cm×5, 2019
Deng Guoyuan, “In the Garden 2021.No.15”, Acrylic, acrylic board, cover, 60×80cm, 2021
The art exchanges between China and Germany have shown a wide developmental trend, and the communications between art institutions and art schools are closely related, and both sides have held many exhibitions while cooperating with each other. This exhibition focuses on the group of “Chinese artists who have studied and lived in Germany”, focusing on the effects and functions exerted from “human communication.”
It can be seen from the exhibited works that this group of artists have distinct common qualities in their creation. On the one hand, they inject speculative thinking and focus on spiritual expression in reflecting the relationship between man and nature, and man and reality; on the other hand, in terms of artistic language, they persist in the exploration of painting and have strong expressive elements.
Zhou Chunya, “Longmian Villa”, Acrylic on paper, 150×210cm, 2021
Zhang Xiaogang, “Light No. 3”, Oil on canvas, 160×200cm, 2021
Ma Lu, “Awareness”, Acrylic, Mixed techniques, 180×210cm, 2021
Shan Fan, “Slow Works, 119 hours, 7 minutes and 48 seconds”, Oil on canvas, 160×400cm (quadtych), 2021
Wang Xiaosong, “Crossing the Beach”, Resin oil on canvas, 168×175×30cm, 2022
Liu Ye, “Bamboo Composition No. 4”, Acrylic on canvas, 50×70cm, 2011
Ren Rong, “Genesis” series, Hollow iron sculpture installation, 280×75×75cm, 2018
Through profound thinking and understanding of the spiritual core of Chinese art and German art, they reshape the structure of consciousness, explore the language of art, and create their own artistic worlds. Among them, the artists who returned to China became the leaders of Chinese contemporary art and contemporary design, and contributed to the image construction of Chinese art and design since the start of the 21st century. Some of the artists who have stayed in Germany brought a unique Eastern thought to the German art scene. No matter where they are, Chinese artists living in Germany have become ambassadors of Sino-German art exchanges. Walking in the exhibition hall, the audience can appreciate the research thoughts of the artists on Eastern and Western cultures from the diverse artistic materials, media and expression methods, and feel their strong historical consciousness and cultural responsibility in expressing the Chinese spirit.
Li Jiwei, “Gene Series”, Acrylic, acrylic color, wooden frame, lighting, 225×151×265cm, 2021-2022
Miao Xiaochun, “Restart” (screenshot), 3D computer animation, 14'22, 2008-2010
Zhang Guolong, “Flowers in Polar Regions”, Acrylic, Chinese lacquer, reflective light, 450 (length) × 500 (width) × 120cm (height), 2022
Wang Bing, “Spring”, Acrylic on cardboard, 21×29.5cm, 2020
Wang Min, “Beijing 2008”, Poster design, 2008
Lin Cunzhen, 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics Emblem Design
The theme of the exhibition “Looking Far with a Broad Mind” comes from Wang Xizhi’s famous article Preface to the Lanting Collection, “Looking up at the vast quality of the universe and looking down at the abundance of categories, so looking far with a broad mind is enough for audio-visual entertainment, which is truly joyful.”
As the curator Fan Di’an said, “Looking Far” means the viewing and experience of walking. Chinese artists in Germany straddle cultural boundaries and walk on the bridge of cultural exchanges between China and Germany. On the basis of observing the characteristics of Chinese and German art traditions and modern development, they condense their broad vision and detailed thoughts into their own creations of art and design. The state of “Looking Far with a Broad Mind” is not only an authentic portrayal of the artistic growth and maturity of Chinese artists in Germany, but also a beautiful vision for the future of Sino-German art exchanges.
On the morning of December 8th, a special exhibition viewing activity was held. Professor Fan Di’an, Chairman of the China Artists Association and President of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, acted as guide for the visit and communicated cordially with the guests. Wan Gang, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Chinese Chairman of the China-Germany Dialogue Forum; Cai Wu, former Party Secretary and Minister of the Ministry of Culture; H.E. Ambassador Patricia Flor of Germany; Shi Mingde, former Ambassador to Germany and Chairman of the China-Germany Friendship Association; Katherine Vickers who is in charge of the Cultural Office of the German Embassy in China; Long Yuxiang, Executive Chairman of China International Cultural Communication Center; Ge Dali, Vice President of the National Center for the Performing Arts; Jens Hildebrandt, Delegate & Chief Representative of Delegation of German Industry & Commerce Beijing, Executive Director & Board Member of German Chamber of Commerce in China - North China; Jochen Goller, President and CEO of BMW Group Region China; Meng Xiangfeng, First Secretary of the Party Committee and Assistant to the Chairman of CATL, Yang Jingdao, Vice President of Beijing Film and Television Arts Association and chief planner and producer of “Century Masters”, Ma Lu, Wang Bing, Zhang Guolong, Lin Cunzhen, Jin Guicheng, Li Jiwei, and Bai Di as representatives of participating artists attended the event.
View of the Special Exhibition Activity
The honored guests spoke highly of this exhibition. H.E. Ambassador Patricia Flor of Germany, said that the exhibition was rich in works, diverse in forms and full of creativity. Shi Mingde, former Ambassador to Germany and Chairman of the China-Germany Friendship Association, praised the high level of planning of the exhibition, the overall atmosphere was elegant and high-end.
Exhibition View
Courtesy of NCPA and CAFA, ed. and trans. by CAFA ART INFO.
