With the 2008 Olympics, Beijing invites the world to join them in a dance to experience their culture and learn more about their history. The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts was buoyed by this invitation to the world, and set about to expand Appalachian’s partnerships with educational and cultural institutions within China. This exhibition, exploring the amazing contemporary work being created in China, is the first evidence of new partnerships in the visual arts which expand the center’s and the university’s international programming. The TCVA, the Department of Art, and the Office of International Education and Development have partnered to provide increased accessibility to programs deepening the Appalachian’s community educational and cultural experience relating to Chinese culture and the visual arts.
A key component of the partnership is our work with Beijing artist Zheng Xuewu. Mr. Zheng assisted the Turchin Center’s delegation by coordinating art district and studio tours in Beijing, and his work is a cornerstone of the exhibition, with 20 pieces including paintings, installations and printmaking.
In addition, the artist will facilitate outreach programs for the center’s Community Art School, and will serve as a Visiting Professor in the Department of Art during the Fall 2008 semester. His wife, Guo Xinxin, will also teach the history of Chinese craft. With Mr. Zheng’s assistance, the center’s curatorial staff was able to research and meet with a large number of artists working throughout Beijing’s thriving art districts. The exhibition is a cross-section of what is going on in the larger art community.
Visitors to the exhibition will see 76 works ranging from paintings and drawings to mixed media sculpture. In a special video installation, viewers will experience the traditional Chinese art of paper cutting.
More exhibitions and exchanges are in the future as meetings between the Turchin Center’s delegation and representatives from the Shanghai Institute For Visual Arts (SIVA) resulted in an agreement to establish a mutually beneficial partnership to explore exhibition, student, and faculty exchanges as well as artist residencies. SIVA is an independent affiliate of long time Appalachian friend Fudan University, also in Shanghai.
Zheng Xuewu, East 3, 2007. Acrylic on canvas. Image courtesy of the artist.