Initiated in 2002, Beijing International Art Biennale, China (BIAB), jointly sponsored by CFLAC, Beijing Municipal Government and China Artists Association, has witnessed a consecutive success in its seven sessions. Altogether over 4000 artists from more than 100 countries as well as over a million audiences have participated in this event that has become a key international exchange platform in fine arts with the most participant countries.
With its ideal of establishing a harmonious world, BIAB expects to convey the human’s best wish for peace and development through artistic expression, and promote the creative transformation and innovative evolution of the traditional painting and sculpture all over the world. The theme of each session of BIAB, with relevance in the reality and global correspondence, relates to the significant incidents in the happening history and reflects the responsibility of contemporary arts in addressing the common challenge against humankind from the three perspectives of history, reality and the world. Blessed with the joint curatorship both at home and abroad as well as diversified participants of both world-leading masters and young potential talents, BIAB is considered to constitute a living world history of contemporary paintings and sculptures. Besides the majority of painting and sculpture, BIAB involves such new media as installation and video in a moderate proportion.
BIAB is the only international biennale that still adheres to the focus on “art on shelves” and sculpture as the leading expression, which becomes a distinguished symbol from other counterparts characterized by installation art. As there are various approaches for artistic expression and inexhaustible ways of innovation, it is believed that classic arts will always provide more reference and enlightenment for contemporary arts. In its unique formality and charm, BIAB is still building up an international platform to promote the cultural and art exchanges between different countries and safeguard the diversity and abundance of global arts. BIAB is expected to make its own contribution in the process of contemporary world arts.