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.

Packing my Painting for the 8th Beijing International Art Biennale

My husband helping with wrapping the canvas

For this post I'm including some photos of my large painting being packed for its long trip to China for the 8th Beijing International Art Biennale (125 countries). I always become quite anxious about this preparation process, worrying 'Will it all go smoothly?' 'Will the van come on time?' and 'Will my painting arrive undamaged?' 

The narrow box with canvas inside and the end section ready to screw on

I ordered the box about 3 weeks ago and this time I made it narrower than for previous Biennales because I wanted to have less space to pack with materials. It worked out better because all I had to do was bubble wrap the painting and attach strips of foam around the edges of the frame to stop any bumping during transit. The canvas then fitted perfectly. 

I always need to have stock of bubble wrap, foam padding and brown tape available for exhibitions.

The box with labels

It all does take a bit of time because I also had to stick labels on the box and write on it, just to be sure! You can't really see from this photo but the box is huge - around 175 cm high, 135 wide and 6.5 cm deep. It was very heavy to carry up the stairs and then it went in to the van.

I sighed with relief as the van drove off!

The collection was 5 days ago so it must be well on its way now. Here is a photo of the painting. I framed it in a wide, off cream frame.

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

The Biennale opens on August 29th at the National Art Museum in Beijing.

Back from China!

Fiona and her painting (acrylic and spray paint on canvas, 120 x 160 cm)

This time last week I had just attended the Opening Ceremony of the 7th Beijing International Art Biennale, at the National Art Museum of China, and seen my painting on the wall! I was so pleased with the place it had been hung - it had its own wall and perfect lighting that really brought out the many shades of yellow and green. 

As you can see, it is on an end wall and really stands out. There were very few mainly yellow paintings in the show and it needed its own space.

This is me outside the National Art Museum of China, moments before we went in for the Opening Ceremony. I had to be up early that day, at 6.am, in order to get a bus at 8.15 to the Museum. Buses were laid on for us and the traffic in Beijing inevitably holds you up for longer than you can imagine! It was such a hot sunny day, and what you can't see in the photo are the crowds of people arriving and taking photos.

There were so many photographers from the media, and TV cameras, and all day the artists were treated like film stars. Everyone wanted photos of us and with us.

The theme was 'The Silk Road and World Civilisations.' There were artists from 102 countries and roughly 620 artworks ranging from paintings to sculptures, to tapestries, installations, videos and glass. The museum is huge and the exhibition covers 3 floors, each with many rooms. My painting is in floor 5, in room 21.

The photos do not do justice to my painting. There is a lot of detail and many yellows, and different textures. I envisaged my canvas as a piece of yellow silk blowing in the wind with various activities taking place across it. There are traders, camels taking products to different countries, and various ancient buildings including the Great Wall. My colours and shapes also represent human exchange and the travelling of ideas as much as actual physical items. My painting is called, 'The Silk Road and Human Exchange.'

More photos and stories from the trip will follow. I will also write a review of the exhibition with photos of the wide range of work. It was amazing!

Writing a Blog!

'Mutianyu Valley Memory,' acrylic and ink on canvas, 70 x 50 cm

This week I helped my niece set up a blog as part of her new college course. It caused me to reflect on my blog and the reasons I started it in 2009. At that time I knew nothing of Facebook or Twitter and I was very isolated as an artist, and writing the blog became my way of expressing my ideas and thoughts. It made me feel less isolated. I have always loved writing and enjoyed regular posting. I think it also gave me the chance to let off some steam about rejections and the struggles of being an artist.

Since that time I have discovered the diverse artistic communities on Facebook and Twitter and this has extended my own artistic practice and allowed me a great deal of support. I have also discovered some fabulous blogs by other artists either about their art and ideas, or advising artists on the complex aspects of exhibiting, finances, marketing, and discussing the evolving strategies for showcasing your work.  I continue to learn through these blogs and one of my most recent discoveries was a blog entitled: making a mark:

https://makingamark.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/10-golden-rules-for-every-busy-artist.html

This blog is one of the most comprehensive blogs for useful and important information for artists.

'Traces of My Thoughts,' acrylic and ink on canvas, 50 x 40 cm

 After I set up my niece's blog, I decided to check my own and for the first time in 7 years I went right back to my first posts and read them. It was a strange feeling because it was as if I was reading someone else's blog. It also pointed out to me that I have done a lot of writing over these 8 years!

At this moment I am getting ready for my trip to Beijing for the 7th Beijing International Art Biennale. I have received my official invitation letter, booked my flight, my visa appointment is in a few days time, and two weeks from now I will be on the long flight to Beijing. It is only a short trip but I know that it will be exciting to see my large painting in the National Art Museum of China and to meet the other artists. This Biennale will feature work from 109 countries with 652 artworks on display. It will also give me a chance to pop across the road and buy more calligraphy brushes, ink and rice paper!

CHINA - A ONCE-IN-A-LIFE TIME EXPERIENCE!

Me outside the National Art Museum of China, 24th September

Me outside the National Art Museum of China, 24th September - for the Opening Ceremony

It is almost a week since I arrived back from China! I've been struggling with jet lag but finally feel I have adjusted, and now I'm sorting through my photos and thinking about the new work that this trip will have inspired in many ways. It still all feels as if it was a dream that I went to China.

To actually be INVITED to go there was such an honour! It was such a last minute rush to get my Chinese visa and then I left Tunbridge Wells train station on the morning of 22nd September, full of excitement and nerves (nerves for the long flights!) I was in a daze because I could not believe I was actually going. When I made my application for the Biennale last December I never thought it would result in this trip.

I flew to Charles De Gaulle airport - an incredibly large and modern airport - and had about 4 hours to wait there. I boarded the Air France aircraft at around 10.40pm (L.T) and we took off at 11.20pm. It is the longest flight I have ever done, being around 10 hours. But as dawn streaked the sky in the early morning, I found a vast tundra below, and it gradually became even wider and flatter. I followed the flight tracker with much interest, and then Beijing came onto view. I took many photos as we came in to land.

There is nothing to match the feelings of amazement that flood through you on realising you are now in a place that is very far from home and somewhere that you have never laid eyes on before! I went into the arrivals hall full of happiness and anticipation. Soon I saw at the far end there were people holding large pink BIAB signs, and one of them came forward to greet me. A group of artists had already gathered and I learned that there had been several collections of artists from the airport, and I also saw a 3 page list of artists - and it struck me that there must be around 200 invited artists, much more than I had expected. Artists wanted to take photos with me but the organisers wanted us to go out to the bus.

On the bus we were given our schedules for the next 4 days and also much needed bottles of water. My husband called me and it was strange to realise that it was only 9.am in the UK! As we wound our way through the increasingly tall and modern buildings of Beijing, I felt more relaxed. I had not really known what to expect but it was clear that we were going to be very well looked after.

Taking part in the 6th Beijing International Art Biennale was an experience that artists can only dream of. It felt as if 2 weeks were crammed into the 5 days I was there. I will write much more very soon because this event deserves a huge report!

 

(Above photo - a selfie during the Opening ceremony and speeches, at the National Art Museum of China)

OFF TO CHINA WITH MUCH EXCITEMENT!

'Excursion,' oil and acrylic on canvas, 60 x 45 cm

As I mentioned back in June, I had a painting accepted for the 6th Beijing International Art Biennale, which opens at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing on September 24th - this week! The exhibition has work by artists from 100 countries and I feel very honoured to be included. I am one of five artists representing the UK. As far as I know, none of the others are going.

I received an invitation to go to Beijing from 23rd to 27th September, to be present at the Opening ceremony and also to be present during their symposium. Just today I collected my visa from the Chinese Visa Application Centre and tomorrow I will be flying to Beijing in the afternoon. I still can't believe it. Nerves for the flight - I hate flying - are mingled with excitement at seeing Beijing and seeing the marvellous artworks that will be on show. I also hope to meet up with some of the other artists, and the symposium should be very interesting. Possibly this will influence my painting in a very big way. Certainly it is going to widen my ideas about art in general. I'm taking a small book to make some quick paintings of my impressions, in case anything resonates with me for future paintings. Though I may not have time to do this!

My next entry will be on my return next week.