the first exhibition this year
I mentioned in my last blog post from 2021 that I will have 2 exhibitions this year. The first will take place in Beijing between April and May. This is a very important exhibition for me. It takes place in the Museum of Contemporary Art, MOCA. The museum has 7000 m2 of exhibition space on 3 floors and is always very busy.
It is a group exhibition with colleagues from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. I will be more represented with 16 works I have been painting in the recent 2 years.
It’s not my first exhibition in Beijing. In the mid-1980s, I became the first western artist to exhibit (3 exhibitions between 1980 and 1984) since the Cultural Revolution. It wasn’t a big deal back then, but my exhibition at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, CAFA, attracted a lot of visitors, especially Chinese artists, some with well-known names.
This year’s exhibition is running on a much higher level, especially as it honors 50 years of cultural exchange between Europe and China. I have been actively involved in this exchange for decades now – without letting myself be taken over by any side, but in the firm belief that cultural exchange is fundamentally one of the most important aspects of peace and understanding between all countries.
I didn’t design the flyer. It serves its purpose, but I don’t think it’s particularly appealing.
My participation would not have been possible without the help of sponsors and I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks again: Oe.g.c.f. (Austrian Society for China Studies), where I regularly contribute with lectures and articles on Chinese arts and the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with its Cultural Forum Beijing) supported me financially.
The painting used for this flyer is this one, which I presented some time ago in one of my blog entries:
When I accepted the invitation over a year ago, I was hoping to fly to Beijing and take the opportunity to meet old friends and colleagues. But since the Corona crisis is not over yet, nothing will come of it.
So I hope that my work will be well received and that a similar opportunity may arise in the future.
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