Monday 26 August 2019

The 8th Beijing International Art Biennale 2019

Painting with ink on rice paper  in my studio in China in 2016
This will be a brief post because I'm on a countdown now to going to China for the 8th Beijing International Art Biennale which opens on 30th August with 125 countries participating this time.

I've also been selected to give a speech at the international art symposium on 31st August at 3.30pm. I submitted a proposal for a speech some months ago and have prepared a PowerPoint presentation with high resolution images. I'm speaking about the ideas behind my painting which I painted specifically for the Biennale based on their theme 'A Colourful World and a Shared Future.' (My painting is posted below). I have a 10 minute slot for my speech, and preparing the PowerPoint and images has taken up quite a bit of time recently, along with getting my visa, finalising many details for the trip, and all the many things you have to do before travelling. Consequently I have not been able to paint for over 2 weeks. Several new ideas are brewing in my mind but they will likely be tweaked by this visit.

I have been selected also to go on a sketching trip on Sunday, in the landscape, along with other artists, so may get the chance to work with calligraphy brushes on rice paper again. I think this will really refresh my work.

I'm going to Heathrow tomorrow night and have an overnight stay and then travel to Zurich at 8.40am with a brief stop and on to Beijing arriving at 5.15am on Thursday 29th August. This for me is the worst part because I hate flying! It will only be a short trip as I return on 3rd September but it will be fun to meet all the other artists, some of whom I may know from 2 previous Biennales. 

Keep checking this blog for my photos of the Beijing Biennale which I will post soon after my return.


'Walking Towards a Shared Future,' acrylic and oil on canvas, 120 x 160 cm

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