The IX Biennale of Contemporary Art in Beijing opened its doors under the motto “The light of life“, with the imminent Winter Olympic Games as protagonists and a joint exhibition of artists from the European Union.
The National Art Museum of China will host the artistic event until February 15, which in this edition brings together 707 works created by 573 artists from 117 countries, according to data provided by the organizers.
The phrase chosen as the title for this biennial is intended to be, at the same time, a nod to the Olympic spirit and torch, and to the spirit of survival in the face of the covid-19 pandemic with which the planet has been dealing for two years now.
Precisely because of the strict prevention measures that China maintains -with the borders practically closed and a policy of “zero tolerance” against the virus- the opening of the event had a very restricted participation, although the Beijing public will be able to access the exhibitions and also there will be a virtual edition of the appointment.
Paintings, sculptures, installations and images rub shoulders once again in the Chinese capital with themes that place special emphasis on sport, but also on the health crisis: from works that pay tribute to health workers to others that pay tribute to “athletes Winter Olympics that defy the limits” or those that “reflect on the ultimate meaning of life,” the organization highlighted.
The main works by Chinese artists in this biennale are three large-format works by Wang Xuexian, Li Hongjun and Zhang Lian, all inspired by the JJs. OO. of winter.
In addition to the central exhibition, among the thematic exhibitions of this 2022 stands out ‘The Spirit of Europe’ (“The spirit of Europe”) that brings together for the first time in an international biennial works by artists from the EU.
The selection, which can be seen in the European pavilion, includes painting, photography, collage, videos and installations that offer the public “a great display of European creativity”, according to the exhibition’s curator, Lucía Sollinger.
The artist Eugenio Ampudia represents Spain in this initiative with the video ‘The return to the Prado’, an imaginary cycling tour of the great Madrid museum that is integrated into an exhibition raised around the question of whether there is a “European spirit” and the art’s ability to “define us with our own distinctive cultural entity,” says Sollinger.
