The year 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic friendship between China and the Netherlands. The last several decades have witnessed tremendous growth in exchange and cooperation between Chinese and Dutch artists and cultural practices. ‘ A Sino-Dutch Art Exchange Exhibition 2022 ' reconnects the arts realms of the two countries in this post-Covid period, featuring fifty artworks by artists from both countries, with twenty-five art pieces by Chinese artists from Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Guangdong, and twenty-five artworks by Dutch artists. You will see traditional ink paintings as well as contemporary pieces, including the award-wining bronze sculpture Statue of Lao-Tzu by Wu Weishan, paintings of Bob Bonies, and many more.

The Chinese Ambassador to the Netherlands, Mr. Tan Jian, attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition. In his speech, the ambassador first expressed his appreciation to the curators and China Cultural Centre Den Haag for having successfully collected all the exhibits despite the difficulties in this post-covid situation. Mr. Tan introduced the logo of the ’50-year diplomatic relations between China and NL’, "The number 50 is unfinished, signifies looking towards the future. Just as I know that each of the exhibited works here has its own ideas and messages that it wants to express, I would like to leave this Logo here to add one more work to this exhibition. I hope this exhibition will further enhance the relationship between the two peoples and promote exchange and cooperation between artists from both countries."

Wu Weishan, Director of the National Art Museum of China, delivered his greetings via a video message. Wu Weishan was invited to the Netherlands for a short residency in 1996, where he formed a deep friendship with the Dutch artist, and in 1999, when Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands visited China, she visited the Wu Weishan sculpture exhibition in Suzhou. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the Netherlands, China Cultural Center Den Haag invited Wu Weishan to exhibit his work, fulfilling a wish of the Chinese artist for many years. Wu Weishan's bronze sculpture, Statue of Lao-Tzu, is a combination of traditional Chinese aesthetics and Western abstractionism, with a hollow body and inscribed text from the Tao Te Ching (道德经). The work was awarded the Gold Medal at the Louvre Fine Arts Exhibition in Paris in 2012.

 

Exhibits by Bob Bonies

 

The Dutch contemporary art master Bob Bonies, who has been invited to Qingdao, Beijing and Shanghai to participate in international art exchanges and special exhibitions, is himself a witness and pioneer in the cultural exchanges between China and the Netherlands. You will also see three set of his artworks at this exhibition.

 

A Sino-Dutch Art Exchange Exhibition 2022 is free entry, and will be open until 28 Aug every Tuesday to Sunday 12pm - 5pm.

Lange Voorhout 15, 2514 EA Den Haag.

 

The exhibition is co-organized with Pulchri Studio. The curators of this exhibition are visual artists Zhou Le Sheng, Piet Warffemius and Ed van der Kooy, all artist members of Pulchri Studio.

 

Participating artists from the Netherlands are: Gabriela Acha, Bob Bonies, Ton of Holland, Ed van der Kooy, Willem Marijs, Tamara Muller, Jiri Nieuwenhuis, Marieta Reijerkerk, Vittorio Roerade, Darja Vos, Anton Vrede and Piet Warffemius.

 

The Chinese participating artists are: Chen Baoliang, Chen Hailan, Dai Hongjie, Dai Hongqian, Dou Yu, Du Ning, Gao Mingli,Ge Hongzhi, Hua Jianping, Ru Yuelai, Tan ShouSheng, Tu Ningning, Tu Yang, Wang Junwei, Wang Kui, Wang Yichu, Wang Yongcai, Wu Mingxian, Wu Weishan, Xiao Ping, Yang Min, Ye Qijia, Zhang Deyan, Zhou Lesheng, Zhou Zhengliang.

 

Photo credits to: Sylvia Lederer, Kai Zhang

 

More Pictures from The Opening

 

It is worth mentioning that China Cultural Center Den Haag will be hosting the "Foshan Art Exchange Exhibition" in its exhibition hall at the same time. As an extension to the "Sino-Dutch Art Exchange Exhibition 2022", the "Foshan Art Exchange Exhibition" features 45 contemporary Chinese paintings with the cultural characteristics of "Lingnan Water Town", selected by the Foshan Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film, Tourism and Sports of Guangdong Province. As Huang Hongchang, Director of the China Cultural Centre Den Haag remarked, art and cultural exchange transcend language. In this special period of the epidemic, we hope that by organising this exhibition, we can facilitate the exchange and communication between Chinese and Dutch artists and present a richer and more diverse Chinese art scene.

 

Foshan Art Exchange Exhibition

Exhibition address: China Cultural Center Den Haag, Spui 192A, 2511BW Den Haag

Exhibition hours: Tuesdays to Fridays from 4 to 28 August, 1pm to 5pm

 

Selected artworks of

Sino-Dutch Art Exchange Exhibition 2022
 

Marieta Reijerkerk 

 

Rain by  A Lotus Pond

Zhou Lesheng

70cm * 120 cm

Ink on Paper

Ed van der Kooy - Distorted reality 4

 

Tamara Muller - Lost and Found