From CAFA Art News

On the afternoon of October 21, 2014, “Master Mould and Copy Room” was unveiled in the CAFA Art Museum. The exhibition is hosted by the CAFA Art Museum and has been planned by Professor Hans De Wolf from Vrije University Brussels (VUB) in Belgium. The exhibition powerfully questions several key concepts in Chinese and Western artistic traditions, and introduces a series of Belgian artists who occupy an important position in the world of art history to Chinese audiences, including artists Marcel Broodthaers, Frank Theys, Joëlle Tuerlinckx, Didier Vermeiren, Francis Alys, etc., whose works are on show together with several famous Chinese domestic artists Xu Bing, Pan Gongkai, Su Xinping, Song Dong, Sun Yuan & Peng Yu, they formed an interesting echo and dialogue. 

At 2:30 pm the press conference was held at the VIP meeting room of the CAFA Art Museum. Gao Gao from the Academic Department of CAFA Art Museum hosted the press conference, Rudi Vervoort, Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region, Wang Huangsheng, Director of CAFA Art Museum, curator of the exhibition Professor Hans De Wolf from Vrije University Brussels (VUB), Director of the Staatliches Museum Schwerin, as well as the exhibiting artists Guillaume Bijl, Frank Theys, Joëlle Tuerlinckx, all came some distance to attend. 

At the conference Rudi Vervoort, Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Regiongave an address stating that Brussels and Beijing were both important “cultural cities”, so that to establish a wide range of exchange of humanities and culture was the core of the two cities, and the exhibition was a part of the communication; Wang Huangsheng said that such cultural communication between CAFA and Belgium was revealed in the first CAFAM Biennale. Seen from the perspective of China, the theme of this exhibition did not only continue the tradition, but also had a considerable practical significance. Finally, the curator Hans De Wolf briefly introduced the mode and content of the exhibition to the media who were present at the exhibition, in addition, Hans said that the 2015 Brussels touring exhibition would mainly feature Chinese artists who would present Chinese contemporary art to the people of Brussels. 

Hosted by Wang Huangsheng, the exhibition opening ceremony was held at 4:30pm. Honored guests included Rudi Vervoort, Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region, curator of the exhibition Professor Hans De Wolf from Vrije University Brussels (VUB), Camon Cana, Deputy Head of the EU’s Delegation to China, Michel Malherbe, Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to China, Sun Kanglin, Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal People’s Congress, Professor Su Xinping, Vice President of CAFA, Sun Shichao, Director of Beijing Municipal People’s Congress Education, Science, Culture and Public Health Committee, as well as many related officials from the Belgium Embassy in China. 

Rudi Vervoort, Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region initially addressed the audience stating that he thanked the curatorial team and congratulated the successful opening of the exhibition; Followed bySun Kanglin, Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal People’s Congress who stated that, the cultural exchange between Brussels and Beijing was increasingly close, taking the advantage of the friendship exchangesof 20 years it has launched the exhibition in Beijing, it was a window for Beijing people to better understand Belgian culture; Professor Su Xinping, Vice President of CAFA thanked curator Hans, who presented this delicate exhibition in China, and hoped that the exhibition would be a new starting point for cooperation, bringing a new luminescent spot for the two countries and two schools; Finally, the curator Hans briefly introduced the theme and content of the exhibition, as well as the participating artists, at the same time, he also thanked Chinese artists for their cooperation and support. 

After the end of the opening ceremony, the curator Hans De Wolf led the audience to visit the exhibition and to all the wonderful works. The exhibition is themed on “Master Mould and Copy Room” which unfolds around the core concept of “master”, which refers to a few extraordinary talented artists, the geniuses with an excellent reputation. The greater the influence of the master, the more intensely others desire to copy his or her work, and then countless imitations and reproduction emerge, but in different Chinese and Western cultural traditions, they have a different attitude to replicas. “Master Mould and Copy Room” builds a real platform for a dialogue, to re-examine the misunderstanding and conflict between the two cultures from a new perspective. 

It is worth mentioning that CAFA and Vrije University Brussels (VUB) deeply carried out the exhibition after considerable cooperation, and after that it will trigger a series of exchange exhibitions, including Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition which is to be held in Brussels BOZAR art center in 2015, as well as the “Master Mould and Copy Room” which is expected to return to the present location in Europe, etc. At the same time, the exhibition is an important activity that celebrates the 20th anniversary of the establishment of friendship cities between two capitals – Beijing and Brussels. As an important project of cultural and academic diplomacy, the Chinese and Belgium art exhibition will promote an in-depth exchange between the cultural and academic elite from the two countries, to promote the in-depth understanding and common development between the two countries and cultures.