A report on the 4th Beijing international art biennale

My first contact with China was in 1987. I was travelling on the Tanzania Railway. The railway was built by the Chinese in the 70ties and still runs 1800 km from Dar es Salaam into the middle of Zambia. Chinese tracks, bridges, locomotives, coaches and stations in pale mint green were constructed, build and dotted across the African landscape. “The road to freedom” enabling Tanzania and Zambia to export their goods via the ports of Dar es Salaam. Distinctly I remember the soft bronze bell chimes echoing gently in the station waiting halls, these tender chimes so remarkably Chinese I could almost catch the musky odour of China float in the air. When I boarded the train, it came to me that all the operating signs, such as opening and closing of windows, operating the fans or light or toilets, were in Chinese. So prevailing were the images and icons of China that I closed my eyes to the sounds of the wheels hitting the spaces in-between the lengths of the railway track.
cluck-clung  clunk- clung.
and  I imagined myself to be in China.

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On the 20 of October 2010 at 14h00 I set foot on China for the 4th Beijing international art Biennale. A different China to the one I had experienced in Africa in 1987. The well-marked roads leading to the centre of the city were that of a standardised modern world type. I mean, as I was sitting back in the taxi seat with the window slightly open catching the breeze thinking, if you would take away the road signs in our uniformed modern cities you could be any where in the world. We passed skyscraper after skyscraper and finally my mobile phone gps system showed we were approaching the Beijing Hotel.
In the hotel lobby I was met by one of friendly members of the Chinese Artists Association, and was given a hotel room key card, a name badge and a beautiful catalogue of all 562 art pieces.
`Meet us here at 4:30 pm´, she said, stressing the 4:30. `the busses will take us to the banquet this evening.´
I had arrived a day to late. There were no earlier flight to Beijing. The moon festival, all the  flights were fully booked. I was not able to see the opening of the exhibition in the National Art Museum of China. The catalogue made up for that, and in my room with the TV playing a chinese soap  ‘to love is immune’, I made a study of the art works. 535 artists.

Five hundred and thirty-five thinking about Environment Concerns and our Human Existence
At 16:45, five buses filled with some two hundred artists left the hotel with a police escort  towards the Olympic city for the banquet. While we walked the last bit to the our feast hall in the Green Convention Center, being photographed and photographing, I felt we were  true Olympiads.
An enormous hall filled with tables covered in deep orange cloths, plates, cutlery and wine glasses invited us in. Near the stage, up centre, a place for the extra honourable members with a red table-cloth. The seating arrangement was easy, we sat down, introduced ourselves, by name and country. How easy and gentle the evening flowed. We were all humble artists.

What do you mean by humble? someone asked later on.
We were all approachable, like small talk. Yet our essence, our art, was heavy, something larger than ourselves and its awkward size difficult to control.
Twenty three dishes were served.
In physical existence, the time we are awake, the artists weaves and twists, with time and space to find a physical form for the creation. Time to make money and money to make time to make the creation. Time to share with day jobs, trivial necessities and the hunger to create. Time gained to be used to stare blankly into space. Space to have to fill with time. A concern about the artists and his own existence in his environment.

Environment Concerns and our Human Existence, we are aware that this subject is bigger than us. The next morning this is the discussion point for the conference were abstracts are expanded and opinions given.
”seeking harmony without uniformity”, ”modern transformation”, ”flower and bird”, ”global art, rapid”, ”the character of land is changing, changing urban space” are just a few phrases.
It should come a no surprise that China chose this theme as chinese art has always made a clear connection between home environment, harmony and nature, and it is interesting to note that art academies in China gave a department of Environmental Art. The art works presented by China in the Biennale, were of very high standard.  Also the works  which I saw in art galleries were strong in concept with a very high quality workmanship.

Each time we had a break I was astounded to be surrounded by so many artists. In the queue for a coffee, or in the elevator, or at the lunch table, a conversation could be struck up with ease.
‘What do you do?’ we were on the same level, ‘sculptor, printmaker, painter,’ and when the conversation lingered on about our children, mobiles phones were exchanged with blurred pictures of our infants and we recognised each others struggle, doubt and calculated movement behind each action in our work of creation.
After a quick-lunch I was able to get out and walk up Wangfujing street towards the National Art Museum to see the artworks. Having met the artists (as a group) I felt to be in the right mood to see and ”listen” to their creation. The front gate of the national museum of modern arts was proudly draped in a green banner announcing the exhibition and guarded by a stout soldier standing to attention at the gate. I showed my badge to the guard and a museum attendant and made my way towards the entrance.
The exhibition, like the artists, was diverse and exotic. High art low art. The gathering of the artworks was astounding. It is important to note that the Beijing international art Biennale was an open call to artists. Announcements of the event were spread throughout the world, via print and especial the internet. The gallery, museums and art bureaucrats filters were dismantled and there was direct communication between the artists and the curators of the BIAB. This is remarkable as China is perceived as being closed and cautious. In my city, such open calls are snubbed and sniggered at by the art bureaucrats of the Hague. The BIAB makes a new step forward involving the artists of the world and the public of the world, each with their own starting point. As I walk through the rooms with 562 art works from all over the world, I remember my walk through the gate of the Chinese built railway station in Dar Salaam were the blend of Africa and China was so awe-inspiring.

http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/ziliao/3602/3604/t18009.htm

Tags: Beijing hotel, Beijing International Art Biennale, BIAB, Dar es Salaam, Environment Concerns, High art, low art, National Art Museum of China, Olympiads, our Human Existence, seeking harmony without uniformity, Tanzania Railway, The road to freedom