Opening ceremony of China-Sweden Visual Arts Festival and The Diverse Image – Chinese & Swedish Printmaking Exhibition

On March 22, 2024, Ambassador Cui Aimin attended the opening ceremony of China-Sweden Visual Arts Festival and The Diverse Image – Chinese & Swedish Printmaking Exhibition at China Cultural Center in Stockholm. About 150 people attended the event, including Swedish curator Anders Nyhlén, the Chairperson of the Swedish Printmakers’ Association Anne-Lie Larsson Ljung, participating artists from Sweden, and representatives from the Swedish Printmakers’ Association, Swedish art schools, art museums, and galleries.

Ambassador Cui pointed out in his speech that printmaking is a universal form of artistic expression and has played an important role in the history of world cultural exchanges. Although modern technology can provide more convenient printing methods, printmaking is still active in the world art palace as a pure art form. We hope to take this exhibition as an opportunity to strengthen the exchanges and cooperation between art communities of China and Sweden and continuously enhance the friendship between the two peoples.

Curator Anders Nyhlén stated that this exhibition is part of China-Sweden cultural cooperation. In 2014, he visited the Guanlan Original Printmaking Base in Shenzhen, where artists from over 90 countries worked. In the same year, China Printmaking Museum was opened for printmaking art exhibitions, seminars, and research. He hoped that Sweden could also rebuild printmaking studios in the art academies soon.

Anne-Lie Larsson Ljung, the Chairperson of the Swedish Printmakers’ Association, said that this is a fantastic exhibition bringing together a variety of printmaking artworks created by Swedish and Chinese artists. The Swedish Printmakers’ Association was founded in 1910. Nowadays, there are 430 members from all over Sweden. Most of the Swedish artists in this exhibition are members. They are delighted to participate and have selected works that represent the depth of their artistic creation and expression, as well as excellent craftsmanship.

The exhibition showcases over 100 artwroks. Among them, the Chinese prints are from the collection of Hunan Fine Arts Publishing House, covering classic works from 1937 to 2020, displaying the development of Chinese printmaking art over nearly a century, as well as the historical context from the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression to the reform and opening up. The Swedish works are created by 31 members of the Swedish Printmakers’ Association.

The audience showed great interest and love for all the works displayed in the exhibition. They were amazed by the rich historical and cultural significance of Chinese artworks and the unique artistic styles and exquisite craftsmanship of Swedish artists.