On Friday, March 15, the China Pavilion at Malta’s first art biennale was officially launched at Fort St Elmo in Valletta. Spread over two interconnected exhibition halls, the China Pavilion showcases over 100 pieces of artwork by contemporary Chinese artist Yan Shanchun who was inspired by the West Lake, an iconic tourist destination in the city of Hangzhou, China. The exhibition will run until May 31.
The exhibition themed ‘Tracing’ is being hosted by the China Cultural Centre in Malta in collaboration with Shenzhen International Cultural Exchange Association and Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports, with the support of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Malta.
Addressing the launch ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Malta, Yu Dunhai remarked that the historical Fort St Elmo which originated as a war machine, was now serving as a venue for cultural exhibitions. While war destroys, culture builds, and therefore, the choice of this site is very meaningful. Quoting Chinese President’s Xi Jinping’s Global Civilisation Initiative which advocates that different civilisations and nations should live in harmony, communicate with each other and develop together, he wished that this exhibition will serve as a bridge to strengthen the bond between the peoples of China and Malta.
President of maltabiennale.art and chairman of Heritage Malta, Mario Cutajar said that this biennale was invested with a lot of thought. The concept behind this biennale ‘baħar abjad imsaġar taż-żebbuġ’ (white sea olive groves) represented Malta’s strategic geographical position in the Mediterranean Sea, making it the best place to discuss the experiences of different nations and peoples, while the olive groves portrayed the hope for peace in the world. He revealed that this biennale has a much deeper sense than art for art’s sake since it aims to address contemporary issues in a setting of history.
Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government, Owen Bonnici spoke about the extraordinary relationship between Malta and China. Reciting a Chinese proverb which says that when one is drinking from a well, one has to remember who built that well, he recalled the first two great leaders of Malta and China who initiated this strong friendship between the two peoples back in 1972. He noted that it was significant to observe that soon after, culture was chosen as a vehicle to bring the two countries together with the establishment of the China Cultural Centre in Malta. While dedicating this launch to the two Chinese engineers who lost their lives during the construction of the Red China Dock in 1975, he stated this biennale was not only an opportunity to stregthen these bilateral relations but also a means for the Mediterraneans to understand, see and listen to what the Chinese artist would like to say with his works.
Director of Shenzen Contemporary Art and Urban Planning Museum, and Curator of the China Pavilion, Yan Weixin declared that Malta is recognised as one of the most history-intensive areas in the world. Like many historic cities in China, Malta houses both memories of historical traces and modern urban spaces, which have been constantly documented and enriched through texts and images since ancient times. The art exhibition ‘Tracing’ is to revisit the sites – the witness of history – through a restrospective lens. The China Pavilion is dedicated to exploring the propositions shared among Chinese and Western paintings, and the possibilities of revisiting and recreating historical heritages.
Chinese artist Yan Shanchun was born and raised in Hangzhou, a city known for the West Lake and for being mentioned in the travels of Marco Polo. Having lived for more than 20 years close to the West Lake, the artist felt deeply inspired by it. Spending the summers swimming in this lake and the winters skating on its frozen surface, he knew every hill, every rock, every piece of grass, and every tree of the lake. Finally, the seasonal temperature, humidity and smell of the vegetation became a permanent part of his body and memory. The retrieving of memory has been the theme of his work in the past decades. He hoped that through the works displayed in this exhibition, visitors will be able to feel his intimate relationship with nature.
Art critic and friend of the artist, Dr John Tancock explained in detail the artistic journey of Yan Shanchun along the years. He revealed that his first encounter with the artist’s work was a revelation to him. Eventually, he became fascinated with the artist’s way of integrating the materials and techniques from both Western frescoes and Chinese ink. The combination of the traditional Western print-making technique and the traditional Chinese album design brings the viewers a unique experience that resembles the 'reading' of painting in the Chinese cultural context.
While inviting the public to visit this exhibition, Director of the China Cultural Centre in Malta, Yuan Yuan said she hoped that the China Pavilion will serve as a new platform to open up a new dialogue between Chinese artists and their peers from Malta and around the world.