Tradition & Innovation – Chinese Art Exhibition of China National Academy of Painting was inaugurated at China Cultural Center in Stockholm.

On December 9, Tradition & Innovation – Chinese Art Exhibition of China National Academy of Painting, co-organized by China National Academy of Painting and China Cultural Center in Stockholm, was inaugurated at China Cultural Center in Stockholm. H.E. Mr. Cui Aimin, Ambassador of China to Sweden, Yan Dongsheng, Director of Artistic Committee of China National Academy of Painting, Li Rui, Cultural Counselor and Director of China Cultural Center in Stockholm, and over 100 Swedish artists and guests attended the opening ceremony.

The exhibition is jointly curated by Dr. Xu Lian, Vice President of China National Academy of Painting, and curator Herbert-Jan Hiep. A total of 54 Chinese paintings by 54 contemporary Chinese artists are exhibited. The exhibition is divided into three units: “Wandering Through Mountains and Forests”, “All We Mortal Beings” and “There is a Soul in Everything”, including flower and bird paintings, landscape paintings, and figure paintings, aiming to explore the relations between human and nature. It is hoped that these artworks offer their viewers a window into the thousands of years of history of Chinese art and the zeitgeist of contemporary Chinese people.

Ambassador Cui Aimin mentioned in his opening remarks that the three themes of this exhibition represent the ideas of harmony between humanity and nature, the diversity of social life, and ecological and environmental protection. They are also in line with Sweden’s cultural values of environmental protection and sustainable development. He hopes that Chinese art can find more appreciators around the world through this exhibition, and that Swedish audience will see what the artists think and feel, and experience the contemporary side of traditional Chinese painting.

Yan Dongsheng delivered a speech entitled “The Spirit of Aesthetics in Chinese Painting”. He said that the works in this exhibition are an important part of the creation of contemporary Chinese artists. On the one hand, they use the materials and tools of traditional Chinese painting in their creations. They employ the most fundamental brushwork techniques of traditional Chinese painting, including the ink-splashing technique of freehand brushwork, the bone method of meticulous brushwork, and related shading techniques. On the other hand, these artists use traditional techniques to combine new concepts and styles from Eastern and Western art to explore new visual experiences. Based on a broad understanding of the cultural characteristics of different regions around the world, they incorporate their feelings and reflections on today’s world, forming an artistic expression unique to the era and the individuals.

Sam Westerholm, a representative of Swedish artists, said that the poetry and harmony pursued by the ancient Chinese, combined with new technologies and expressions, allow people to take a break from their busy lives and open up space for our imagination and reflection.

Ren Junwei, a researcher at the Theoretical Research Institute of China National Academy of Painting, gave a lecture on the appreciation of Chinese paintings, the curatorial concepts and key works of this exhibition. The exhibition features flower and bird paintings that depict vivid moments of nature and showcase the wisdom and charm of Eastern aesthetics, as well as landscape paintings that express China’s unique beauty, building a spiritual home for literati with the idea of harmony between human and nature; there are also figure paintings that juxtapose historical imagery with contemporary elements, weaving captivating stories with the unique romanticism of Eastern aesthetics. It can be said that each work in this exhibition is a representative work of the artist that reflects the new look and new achievements of contemporary Chinese painting.

The exhibition lasts until January 10, 2025.