Review of the 8th Beijing International Art Biennale, 2019, Part One

Elmar Peintner, 'Children's Feet and Ladders,' oil and pencil on canvas

As a painter I always love to write about other artist's work and being a participant in the 8th Beijing International Art Biennale at the National Art Museum of China gave me the chance to see a diverse array of artwork that simply called to be written about!

The 8th Beijing International Art Biennale this year had the largest number of participating countries (113) and the theme was 'A Colourful World and a Shared Future.' There is a size requirement of a minimum of 120 cm by 120 cm for paintings, though sculptures were many sizes, and this may be because the walls of the National Art Museum are so large and high that they call for large paintings. Many of the Chinese artists' work is very large indeed! 

In these articles I will be selecting a few artists to write about and also posting general photos of the exhibition. Unfortunately I did not have time to see it all as the large rooms across 3 floors needed a few days to fully explore.

I met the Austrian artist Elmar Peintner in 2015, (painting above) at the 6th Biennale, and since that time I have been a big admirer of his paintings. His large compositions always give an unusual viewpoint and an unexpected interpretation of the Biennale themes. 

The painting above combines powerful empty space (bare canvas), patterns and figuration in a masterly way with great subtlety and sensitivity. It is a painting which invites you to go closer to examine the flow of textures and colours and to marvel at the concept. Elmar's paintings all display such a creative and emotional use of composition and sensitive transitions between colours and shapes. Many times I thought that the medium of his paintings was watercolour because the lightness of touch and quality of the brushwork has the delicateness of watercolour.

He writes about this painting: 'The children's feet in a variety of skin colours represent childhood in a cross-cultural context..'

Elmar Peintner with his painting 'Children's Feet and Ladders.'

A view of the exhibition

Shefali Ranthe, 'My Life is in Your Hands,' oil on canvas

Shefali Ranthe lives in Copenhagen. I first met her at the 7th Beijing International Art Biennale in 2017 when I was impressed by the beautiful colours she uses and her rich imagination.  Her work defies any category being entirely her unique vision of life. It combines inventive figuration and abstraction with vibrant colours and shapes. I love her boldness and the way she pulls abstract shapes of colour through elements of figuration, using both large areas and tiny accents of detail to create movement, and I admire the richness of her paint textures. I feel that she is completely at ease with who she is as an artist and her paintings exude happiness.

Shefali Ranthe with her painting

The Opening Ceremony

Soraya Sikander with her painting 'A Winter Night.'

Soraya Sikander is an artist from Pakistan who currently lives and works in Dubai. She paints large abstracts which have an interest in calligraphic brush work and colour and are often layered with fluid paint. They allow the viewer to make all kinds of associations and to enter their imaginary world. She says:

'At the point of action, at the point of painting, all sorts of other elements come in to play. It is not totally cerebral, it is not planned on a piece of paper and replicated on canvas. My work has the ability to surprise me. It captures the complexity of development.....It is the whole meaning that interests me not just surface development.'

The photo does not give the full beauty of the complex surface and marks or the richness of the colours. In reference to the theme she writes that it is:

'...a  universal common thread shared by men.'

This was a painting which kept inviting me to go back and look and find new meanings and places each time.

'A Winter Night,' and its caption

The Official photo of all the invited artists outside the National Art Museum of China, Beiijing

Aleksandra Suspitsina, 230 x 500 cm, oil on canvas

Liao Qin (China) 'Sharing Wind and Woe in the Same Boat.'

The painting above by one of the Chinese artists was truly amazing. The photo does not do it justice because the colours and details really need to be seen in reality. This artist also spoke at the symposium and I was moved by his humble request for people to critique his work and make further suggestions. It looks perfect to me!

Further works by these artists can be found on their websites.

To be continued with more paintings and also sculptures.