“Profound · Lasting – Painting Exhibition from Ren Jianguo, Ren Guozhong and Ren Lihong”successfully opened in Sydney
“Profound · Lasting – Painting Exhibition from Ren Jianguo, Ren Guozhong and Ren Lihong”, jointly organized by China Cultural Centre in Sydney and Sydney Branch of China Construction Bank, was successfully opened on 4th May at China Cultural Centre in Sydney. Around 140 guests attended the opening ceremony, including H.E. Zhou Limin, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Sydney, Ms Wang Shuyu, Cultural Counsellor of the Consulate General of China in Sydney, Mr Xiao Xiayong, Director of China Cultural Centre and China National Tourist Office in Sydney, H.E. Geoff Raby, former Australian ambassador to China, Mr David Van Nunen, President of the Australian Watercolour Institute, Mr Jin Yangtong, General Manager of the Sydney Branch of China Construction Bank, the participating artists, Mr Ren Jianguo, Mr Ren Guozhong and Ms Ren Lihong, friends from the local art community, members of the Centre as well as reporters from Xinhua News Agency, China Media Group, China News Service, People’s Daily Online Australia, Phoenix TV, Southeast Net Australia, Australian Chinese Daily and South World Media.
H.E. Zhou Limin stated that the opening of the exhibition is an important event not only for the three artists but also for the Chinese community in Australia. He said that “arts helps improve understanding and mutual respect among people, making the world an even more inclusive and better place to live in. As a major form of arts, painting has always been an important way to explore, express and showcase. This exhibition is a celebration of the talent and creativity of Chinese artists living here in Australia and showcases a unique blend of Chinese and Australian cultures. I believe that cultural exchange like this, is an important way to promote mutual understanding and friendship between our two countries. The Consulate General of People’s Republic of China in Sydney always wishes to work towards that direction with all sides from the state of New South Wales and others”.
Mr Xiao Xiayong stated that “the exhibition presents 63 paintings by the Chinese Australian artists Ren’s Siblings in recent years. Profound represents the three artists’ persistence and promotion of the Chinese traditional culture; Lasting represents their exploration of the integration of the eastern and western cultures against the Australian multicultural background, highlighting their artistic attitude and achievement of cherishing their cultural roots, drawing on other cultures and looking towards the future”. He also extended special gratitude to the Sydney Branch of China Construction Bank. China Cultural Centre in Sydney will continue to deepen the cooperation between the Chinese and Australian artists, keep our efforts to build China-Australia art exchange and dialog platform and make cultural contribution to the stable and healthy China-Australia relations.
H.E. Geoff Raby congratulated China Cultural Centre in Sydney on organizing such an excellent painting exhibition. He stated that “obviously we’ve been through and still going through a challenging time of Australia and China relationship, I think it’s a passing phase. When I was ambassador, I made cultural exchange between Australia and China the highest priority”. This exhibition offers the Australian audience an opportunity to experience traditional and creative Chinese culture, conveying an authentic and objective sense of contemporary China.
Mr David Van Nunen said, “for many years, I have been exploring the relation between Chinese ink painting and western water colour painting”. His personal creation has also been deeply influenced by the Chinese ink painting master Huang Gongwang. As President of the Australian Watercolour Institute, he have curated numerous China-Australia exhibitions and deeply recognized the mutual learning between the Chinese traditional painting and the western contemporary painting.
Mr Ren Jianguo expressed his gratitude to China Cultural Centre in Sydney and the Sydney Branch of China Construction Bank, as well as his family for their support. He briefly introduced the experiences of Ren’s Siblings and the exhibition content. He said, “Years of life in Australia have enabled new inspiration into our work, a newfound identity of abstract language and painting concepts. The integration with Chinese culture constitutes the ‘harmony and difference’ of our three artists from the different aesthetic directions of ‘traditional’, ‘modern’, and ‘contemporary’, presenting their differences as seen in this exhibition”.
In recent years, China Cultural Centre in Sydney has tapped the local resources to promote exchange and cooperation between the Chinese and Australian artists through extensive collaboration with the Australian and Chinese artists living in Australia by organizing a series of successful China-Australia cultural dialogue exhibitions, which has further enriched the cultural exchange and cooperation between China and Australia.
“Profound · Lasting – Painting Exhibition from Ren Jianguo, Ren Guozhong and Ren Lihong” will be on display at China Cultural Centre in Sydney until 8th June.