Shared Glory with Diversified Splendours: the Group Exhibition of ASEAN-China Academies of Fine Arts Was Officially Opened

On 25 May 2016, "Shared Glory with Diversified Splendours: the Group Exhibition of ASEAN-China Academies of Fine Arts" (GEACAFA), jointly organized by ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) and China International Cooperation Centre (CICC), presented by Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts (TAFA) was officially opened at the Arts Gallery of TAFA. H.E. Mr. Liu Changxi, Vice Chairman of Tianjin People’s Political Consultative Conference, H.E Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ACC, Prof. Deng Guoyuan, President of TAFA, Mr. Zhao Zhendong, Deputy Director of CICC attended the opening ceremony and delivered their remarks and watched the exhibition. The GEACAFA was composed of more than 150 pieces of artworks painted by 40 artists from 17 arts academies of both ASEAN and China. Representatives from ASEAN Embassies, ASEAN and China Fine Arts Academies and media of around 300 people were present at the event. 

Mr. Liu Changxi said in his opening remarks that ASEAN Member States and China, with a long history and large populations, were multicultural and situated in the most rapid and dynamic region in the world. Since the establishment of ASEAN-China dialogue relations, ASEAN-China friendly cooperation had been sustained and steady, and cultural and arts exchange had expanded and deepened. The GEACAFA and the Alliance of ASEAN-China Academies of Fine Arts to be proposed would play an active role in enhancing mutual exchange and learning between the two sides. Tianjin would continue to expand cultural exchange and deepen the friendly cooperation with ASEAN countries.

Secretary-General Yang said that over the past 25 years since the establishment of ASEAN-China dialogue relations, an all-round, wide-ranging and multi-level cooperation pattern had been formed. ASEAN and China enjoyed profound historical background with many common features in culture. The efforts made by both sides to actively promote cultural exchange and cooperation had set up new bridges of communication and friendship among the people, injected new impetus into ASEAN-China relations, hence become an indispensable important part of ASEAN-China cooperation. The Group Exhibition was one of the series of activities in the ASEAN-China Week organized by ACC to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations. She hoped that the Group Exhibition would further enhance cultural and artistic exchange and talent cultivation, set up a long-term cooperation mechanism among academies of fine arts of ASEAN and China, put new connotations to the expansion of people-to-people cultural exchange and enhance heart-to-heart communication of the people between the two sides.

Mr. Zhao Zhendong hoped that the Exhibition and the new exchange mechanism could play a positive and unique role in enriching the cultural connotation of the strategic partnership between China and ASEAN and in deepening ASEAN-China cultural exchange. Mr. Milenko Prvacki, senior fellow of Lasalle College of the Arts of Singapore made remarks on behalf of the artists from ASEAN. He said the Exhibition provided a platform for artists from ASEAN and China to intensively communicate, exchange innovative ideas with mutual learning. Mr. Deng Guoyuan proposed, on behalf of TAFA and the organizers of the Exhibition, to establish the Alliance of ASEAN-China Academies of Fine Arts on the basis of GEACAFA so as to set up a more programmatic and effective long-term mechanism for exchange and cooperation in the field of fine arts.

Before the opening ceremony, Vice Chairman Liu Changxi met with Secretary-General Yang and representatives of ASEAN Embassies and briefed on Tianjin’s achievements and its exchange and cooperation with ASEAN countries since China’s reform and opening-up.