On June 3rd, 2017, held by China Sculpture Institute and Korea Sculptor’s Association, China-Korea Contemporary Sculpture Exchange Exhibition had its opening ceremony in Seoul Arts Center in South Korea.

Group photo of participating artists and guests

Long Xiang, vice president of China Sculpture Institute, and Guo Hang, deputy director of international liaison department for China Sculpture Institute, attended the opening ceremony with 10 Chinese artists. Mr Long delivered a friendly and sincere speech on the opening ceremony to present the wish for a deeper sculptural artistic exchange between China and Korea. Shi Ruilin, director of Seoul Chinese Culture Center and culture counsellor of Chinese Embassy, and Dai Shishuang, the first secretary congratulated on the ceremony, expressing that they would strongly support the cultural transmission activities in Korea held by China Sculpture Institute.

On Korea’s behalf, Kim Hak Yong, member of Parliament, Cho Byung Don,the mayor of Icheon, Ko Hak Chan,chief of Seoul Arts Center, Kim Yung Won, honorary director-general of Korea Sculptor’s Association, Han Jin Sub, president of Korea Sculptor’s Association, Choi Seung Hoon,curator of Daegu City Gallery, Kuak Dae Yung, dean of Sculpture Department in CAU, Song Soo Keun,undersecretary of Korean Culture Ministry, Yoon Yung Dal, president of Crown-Haitai Co, Ltd. Park Se Joon,president of Amway Group, and Cho Sook Yi,president of Female Sculptor’s Association with more than 50 representatives participated.  

China-Korea Contemporary Sculpture Exchange Exhibition, as a result of studying the development of sculpture and promoting cultural communication, has been speedy developed since its foundation in 2009. This time works from Chinese sculptors would be displayed on the China Exhibition Area in the International Sculpture Festa 2017 till June 10th.

Han Jin Sub, president of Korea Sculptor’s Association awarded certificate to artist Long Xiang

14 sculptures from Chinese artists were participated in The 9th China-Korea Contemporary Sculpture Exchange Exhibition. Weaving from Long Xiang pursued different treatments on the same stone by sculpting and polishing. Body·Breath from Li He brought weaving of bamboo split into full play with emphasis on life.

Long Xiang and Li He both hoped to imply the interconnection between China and Korea through the weaving form while considering the policy of “One Belt And One Road”. As in the aspect of meaning, Li Huixing’s DA YUAN JING ZHI shared the same beauty and philosophy with Li He’s work, showing us the eternity of art.

Dong Shubing’s Measurement, Guo Hang’s Waterlike, Tan Jianming’s The Poet Xu Zhimo and Wu Hao’s Nocturne were all made of metal. Measurement measured the beauty and innocency of a sleeping baby, which coincided with the connotation of Waterlike, “Highest good is like water”. The Poet Xu Zhimo depicted a poetic temperament in freehand way, while Nocturne showed a musical rhythm in more realistic one.

Li Wanqiu’s A Deng and Li Zhimin’s Shock were made of wood. Li Wanqiu used different timber splicing skills to sculpt an abstract figure, and Li Zhimin paid attention to digging the inner world by means of realistic description.

Cheng Xueting’s Shade of the Mountain and Liu Chao’s Whisper were of Chinese tradition. While the former one got idea from traditional landscape painting, sculpted a mountain image layer upon layer. And the latter used rice paper, just like a whisper to past, present, region and culture. Bao Landi expressed the same concern about Tibet as Liu Chao did by her Tibetan Antelope , the only difference was one focused on human and life, the other focused on nature and zoology.

Kong Jingcai’s Cage No.1 and Zhang Youkui’s Collection were more like installations than usual sculptures. Struggling badmintons cabined in a cage implied the meaning of Chinese letter “Nu” vividly. But Zhang Youkui put “significant form” into practice, made his work  meaningful and thought-provoking.

Both Chinese sculptors and Korean sculptors revealed the eastern style of modern sculpture in The 9th China-Korea Contemporary Sculpture Exchange Exhibition. They carried on the research and creation out of sculptural shape, structure, material, space and color, considering manifestation and contemporary aesthetic concept.

Exhibiting site 

China-Korea Contemporary Sculpture Exchange Exhibition was designed to improve external exchange, inspire original works, integrate eastern culture resource, explore modern sculpture in an eastern respective, endow sculptural art with new vigor and creat more spiritual treasure for mankind. China-Korea Contemporary Sculpture Exchange Exhibition has become an important carrier for sculptors from both countries to seek modern sculpture language and construct modern eastern sculpture. Nowadays we can see that eastern sculpture is sparkling in the worldwide sculpture circle.