BEIJING, June 24 -- There's some controversy over the fact that the 2nd Beijing Biennuale features only paintings and sculptures, as other international biennuales promote new contemporary art trends and mediums.
Is it new wine in an old bottle, or old wine in a new bottle?

    Nobody organising the Beijing International Art Biennale seemed willing to make it clear, at least not when they spoke at their press conference on Monday.

    Maybe it's none of their concern. Maybe the answer is "both."

    After the controversial first biennale in 2003, the organizing committee decided to let this "costly" and "conservative" event continue this year an event they themselves claim to be "the largest, highest-ranking international art gala of China."

    They have also recently set up a permanent office for the Beijing Biennale, meaning the event could go on forever if nothing goes seriously wrong.

    "The second Beijing Biennale the most anticipated exhibition of 2005 will be held from September 20 to October 20," announced Jin Shangyi, chairman of the Chinese Artists Association which co-sponsors the event with the China Federation of Arts and Literary Circles and the Beijing municipal government. Jin said this year's biennale is expected to exceed the first one in both scale and influence.

    A documentary shown at the press conference told of the event's history and showed a few of the works to be featured this year.

    Most biennales around the world among them the famous Venice and Sao Paulo biennales promote new contemporary art trends and mediums. However, from the very beginning, the Beijing Biennale has taken a different approach, exhibiting only paintings and sculptures. It shies away from installation, conceptual art and new media art.

    "It is true that art seeks innovation. But innovation does not mean new media and new art forms. The modernity in traditional art is exactly what the Beijing Biennale wishes to contribute to the diverse world of contemporary art," Jin explained.

    Liu Dawei, another chief organiser and executive vice-chairman of the Chinese Artists Association, added that it is not necessary to follow Western modes even though the "biennale" was imported from the West. He explained that recently more and more people worldwide have been renewing their interest in painting and sculpture. "We wish to prove that traditional art mediums can offer something new."

    Besides 173 works by Chinese artists, this year's biennale will include 323 works by artists from 61 foreign countries. Most of the works are recent, completed in the last five years. Many of the Chinese artists are well-established painters and sculptors, including Cheng Dali and Wang Yidong, among others.

    Unlike other biennales that mainly exhibit works of active contemporary artists, the Beijing Biennale will also feature a number of international masters such as the United States' Andy Warhol (1928-87) and Germany's Gerhard Richter (1932-). Works of late Chinese ink painter Huang Zhou (1925-97) will also be exhibited.

    Beyond its main exhibition, the 2005 Beijing Biennale will feature almost 10 other special exhibitions displaying contemporary art from Italy, Russia, Uzbekistan and China. As two years ago, the exhibitions will occupy major art venues in Beijing, including the National Art Museum of China and the Millennium Art Museum.

    In addition to restricting itself to the two art forms, this year's biennale also requires its works address the theme "Contemporary Art with Humanistic Concerns."

    The pieces must express concern for society, world peace and the harmonious interaction of man and nature. During the exhibition, an international symposium examining these themes will be held in Hefei, capital city of Anhui Province.

    Too conservative?

    In 2003, the Beijing Biennale featured 577 works from 45 countries. It reportedly cost 9 million yuan (US$108,700), an incredible budget for any art exhibition in China.

    Many visitors criticized the biennale on the grounds that it was "too conservative," even when compared with domestic biennales or triennials in Shanghai and Guangzhou.

    Some even joked that the biennale was no more than an "expanded version" of the National Art Exhibition organized by the Chinese Artists Association, an event that has lost much of its authority and attraction among Chinese artists because of its rigidity and conservativeness.

    "I believe people can find many differences between the Beijing Biennale and the National Art Exhibition ranging from theme to organization," said Wang Yong, a curatorial committee member and scholar from the Institute of Fine Arts of the China Academy of Arts.

    "There are lots of problems. But we all wish the Beijing Biennale will become one of the leading biennales in today's world. There is hope. But it takes time."

    
(Source: China Daily)