Ren Rong(Living in Germany)
Human·Plant·Terracotta Warriors / 2004 / mixed media / 310cm×210cm
Works of the 2nd Beijing Biennale, 2005
The Beijing Biennale has been the first of her kind that opened their doors for a wide range of artistic explorations not only from China but around the globe. It marks the tremendous change of cultural understanding and exchange that has happened in China during the last three decades. When China decided to open its doors again for foreign countries in 1978, not only the existing culture was affected by foreign new ideas and concepts, but as well the upcoming new generation of artists, who then started to explore foreign countries and went for studies abroad. Within a very short period of time, China’s art scene has been enriched by these influences, by its own change of perspectives and methods, but as well by enabling a wide range of exhibitions. Foreign artists from all over the world have been invited to participate in a wide range of cultural programs that were established to enrich China’s art scene and academic research.
The first Beijing Biennale in 2003 laid its focus on “Originality: Contemporaneity and Locality” and was a great success from its very start. Themes in the following years centered around important aspects of mankind, such as “Humanistic Concern of Contemporary Art” (2005, sixty years after the end of World War II), “Colours and the Olympics” (2008, the year with the Olympic Games in Beijing) and “Future and Reality” (2012) and they all mark the special attempt of the Beijing Biennale to focus on this important relationship between art and humanity. Is art able to give answers and to raise new questions which will guide human thoughts and belief in its responsibility? How do artists express their reflection on the drastic change of life in a globalized world, where resources from nature are dramatically explored, nature is being destroyed by industrialization, wars in many countries of this globe destroy human life and the political climate in a lot of states is turning to its worst? How do artists create visions and how do they express their artistic freedom?
“The Silk Road and World Civilizations”, the main topic of the 7th Beijing Biennale is a wonderful and important attempt to involve artists from over 100 countries of the world to share their rich cultural history. Nowhere in the world’s history has ever created such a complex system that was driven by trade exchange and which turned out to be a stream of multiple cultures, ideas and philosophical concepts. Ranging from China up to the Mediterranean Sea, it has been the one and only route for the exchange of the Eastern and the Western concepts and goods. It has been the most important transfer of cultures and shows China’s new awareness of this trade and cultural route stressing the consciousness of tradition, its own roots and the vision for strengthening a global connection of culture and arts. My deepest congratulation and admiration!
Prof. Dr. Beate Reifenscheid(Germany)
Director, Ludwig Museum, Koblenz, Germany
International Curator of BIAB
Markus Linnenbrink(Germany)
Color / 2009 / resin / 51cm× 213cm×92cm
Works of the 4th Beijing Biennale, 2010
