Prints by international artists from the Chinese National Academy of Arts’ “Win-Win Cooperation: Belt and Road International Printmaking Exchange Project” are on display at the China Printmaking Museum in Longhua District. Entry is free but booking is required through the museum’s WeChat account “GL_PRINTS.”
The Chinese National Academy of Arts, the highest academic research institution in China, together with the Shenzhen Guanlan Original Printmaking Base, launched the project to strengthen communication of international culture and art and respond to the call of the Belt and Road Initiative in 2017, inviting 51 artists from 23 countries.
“The Great Traverler-Xuan Zang” by Kestutis Vasiliunas from Lithuania. Photos from the China Printmaking Museum
The artists came to the Shenzhen Guanlan Original Printmaking Base as resident artists and created more than 100 pieces of printmaking work with selected themes. The inaugural exhibition was held at the Dunhuang International Cultural Expo in Gansu Province, and then itinerant exhibitions were presented in the National Art Gallery in Bulgaria, the China Printmaking Museum in Shenzhen, the Today Art Museum in Beijing and the Guizhou Art Museum.
“Cat Dina” by Marc Taschowsky from Germany.
The project organizers cooperated with other art institutions to build seven printmaking studios in Wuxi and Shenzhen, and also donated works to the National Academy of Art in Bulgaria, Pan the Art Museum in Wuxi, the China Printmaking Museum in Shenzhen, the Guizhou Art Museum, the Today Art Museum in Beijing and the Galaxy Museum of Contemporary Art in Chongqing.
An international printmaking academic forum with the theme of “The Coexistence of Civilizations — Art in Transmission and Transmission of Art” was also held in 2017. Additionally, various printmaking public education activities were organized at the same time. The whole project exerted a great academic influence in 2017, being an annual key project of the Ministry of Culture of China.
In 2018, the project was expanded, allowing more artists from more countries to join. Fifty-three well-known artists from China, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, South Asia, Southeast Asia and New Zealand completed 106 works. The exhibition was grandly held at the Dunhuang International Convention and Exhibition Center in Gansu Province and at the Palace Museum in Beijing. The purpose of those events was to bring art into the lives of ordinary people.
Through three years of hard work, the project has involved more than 100 artists from over 40 countries. The artists and art institutions exchanged ideas through residencies, exhibitions, forums and public education activities.
Meanwhile, the “Stones From Other Mountains: 2020 International Outstanding Printmaking Artists’ Works Exhibition” is also being held at the China Printmaking Museum until June 30. After more than a year of preparation, the museum invited 65 artists from 30 countries to display 130 works. The exhibition’s intents are to introduce the international printmaking community to domestic artists’ references, to inspire research and study, and to promote the fusion of techniques and concepts.
The artists at the exhibition are mainly leading figures of various printmaking schools, representative artists of printmaking institutions, international jury members of previous Guanlan International Print Biennials and those who have won major international printmaking awards. The artists’ experimentalism and avant-garde expressions are fully displayed at the exhibition, ensuring the inclusiveness and academic tastes of this exhibition.
Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Tuesdays
Venue: China Printmaking Museum, Longhua District (龙华区中国版画博物馆)
Metro: Line 4 to Qinghu Station (清湖站), Exit A1 and then take a taxi