The Biennale is showing 20 odd art works by 14 non-mainland Chinese artists. These works include Chinese paintings, oil paintings, sculptures, installments and multi-media presentations. Artists employed a wide variety of artistic methods and influences in their creations, and visitors will find everything from the tradition to the avant-garde, and the realistic to the abstract.
An audience member said:"There are two works that deeply touched me. One is a painting on which is painted bone and tortoise shell inscriptions. That painting represents a new direction of the development of Chinese calligraphic works. I hope the painter can create a string of such works to establish a new painting style. Another piece is a traditional Chinese painting. Obviously the painter carried strong personal emotion to the painting, that is not usual in traditional Chinese paintings. Both professional and amateur painters should develop their own feelings and put them into the paintings."
The Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan works are but large branches on the family tree of Chinese fine art. But the artists are increasingly exposed to western cultural forms, and this influence is creeping further into their works. The artists in these areas are well placed to inherit a traditional artistic sensibility and combine it with a rich international flavor.
Liang Hong, a research fellow of China Art Academy, said: "Reviewing the past 20 years of the artistic history of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, we can find that they have inherited the legacy of the Chinese traditional arts, but they accept many western cultures and arts as well."
At the Biennale, a few overseas artistic works are also displayed. From them, you may get more understanding of the multi-cultural backgrounds of contemporary Chinese artists. How to pay respect to an aged tradition and yet also move one's own style forward is a question that deserves the greatest attention from domestic artists.
(CCTV.com September 29, 2003)
