On December 20, 2024, Paris time, Rongbaozhai and the Chinese Cultural Center in Paris jointly launched the "Reflections of Mind - Rongbaozhai Contemporary Art Exhibition and Woodblock Watermark Special Exhibition". 2024 coincides with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France and the Paris Olympic Games. As the closing exhibition of the "2024 China-France Cultural Tourism Year" of the Chinese Cultural Center in Paris, this exhibition not only shows the deep integration of contemporary art and traditional culture, but also is an important practice for Rongbaozhai to respond to the call of the times and tell Chinese stories well. At the same time, it also writes a strong and colorful stroke for the cultural exchanges between China and France.

This exhibition invites outstanding works of three internationally renowned Chinese contemporary artists, Xu Bing, Qiu Zhijie and Chen Qi, as well as innovative works of many young artists with great potential, to explore contemporary society and personal state of mind through diverse artistic languages. At the same time, it specially presents the national intangible cultural heritage - woodblock watermark, which integrates traditional skills with modern aesthetics, vividly showing its timeless artistic charm and cultural value.
Paris, the first stop for Rongbaozhai's overseas communication project promotion, is the choice of this world capital of art and culture, which fully reflects the deep roots and cooperation potential between China and France in cultural exchanges. "Reflections of the Heart" uses art as a bond and culture as a bridge to show French audiences a rich, diverse and vibrant China, injecting new impetus into the two-way interaction and innovative development of Sino-French culture in the new era.

More than 150 Chinese and French guests attended the opening ceremony, including Chen Li, Minister of the Chinese Embassy in France, Jean Anguera, former President of the French Academy of Arts and famous French sculptor, Didier BERNHEIM, Corresponding Member of the French Academy of Arts and Head of China Affairs, Jean-François Collignon, Corresponding Member of the French Academy of Arts, Remy Aron, President of the Association of Plastic Artists, Yu Ers, Honorary Theater Director of the French Ministry of Culture, Wang Yin, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in France, Li Chunlin, Deputy General Manager and Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of Rongbaozhai Co., Ltd., Xiao Liang, President of Bank of China Paris Branch, and Wang Du, a famous contemporary artist living in France.

Liu Hongge, director of the Chinese Cultural Center in Paris, said in his welcome speech that 2024 is an extraordinary year. At the important node of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France and the China-France Cultural Tourism Year, the Chinese Cultural Center in Paris, together with many Chinese and French partners, has built a bridge of spiritual communication between the people of China and France with a series of splendid cultural activities. As the finale of the year, "Reflections of the Mind-Rong Bao Zhai Contemporary Art Exhibition and Woodblock Watermark Special Exhibition" showcased the elegance and style of China's contemporary art. 2025 is the beginning of a new sixty-year period in Sino-French relations. The Chinese Cultural Center in Paris will continue to serve as an important platform to promote the normalization of cultural and tourism exchanges between China and France, further tell the Chinese story, and make the cultural center a window to taste the taste of China, listen to the voice of China, appreciate the beauty of China, and feel the integration of China and France.

Li Chunlin, deputy general manager and secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of Rongbaozhai, said in his speech that the first exhibition of Rongbaozhai's overseas communication project held in Paris is of great significance. The exhibition not only shows the deep integration of contemporary art and traditional culture of Rongbaozhai in the new era, but also responds to the call of the times and tells China's story well. It also adds a strong stroke to the long history of cultural exchanges between China and France.

Remi Airon, president of the French Association of Plastic Artists, said in his speech that this exhibition shows the diversity of contemporary Chinese painting. The combination of contemporary painting forms and traditional skills vividly demonstrates the energy of Chinese artists. During the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, the two countries held a variety of cultural and tourism activities, which enabled France to understand the rich cultural resources of the vast China. Both Chinese and French artists are deeply rooted in their respective lands and traditions. Both sides should work together to create a future full of hope and fruitfulness.

Recommended works of contemporary art exhibition

Guest Artists

Xu Bing's "Every Wind is Unreachable by AI" is a work with profound meaning and complex interpretation. Its significance lies in its "uninterpretability", which challenges the relationship between form and meaning in traditional calligraphy works, making it impossible for viewers to gain any information or understanding from it. This design not only reflects the tension between calligraphy as a visual form of traditional Chinese art and the language system, but also triggers an in-depth analysis of calligraphy theory.

Chen Qi's artistic creation of "Spring River No. 2" reflects his integration of tradition and modernity. He deeply studied traditional Chinese prints, especially Jiangnan watermark woodcuts, and made innovations on this basis, giving the traditional art form of watermark woodcuts a modern aesthetic visual approach. His works not only made breakthroughs in size, but also revealed the subtle changes in the world of mental images through the changes in color intensity, allowing the audience to have rich associations in the process of appreciation.

Qiu Zhijie's ink paintings are not only innovative in form, but also deeply reflect his thoughts on traditional culture and modern life in content.
"Form of Meditation Round Platform" can be interpreted as a tone full of meditation and recollection, with a lonely and sentimental quality. This work shows the artist's unique narrative style of the theme through the form of ink on paper. In the process of creation, Qiu Zhijie often explores deep emotions and thoughts through repeated writing and meditation. For example, his "Repeated Writing of Lanting Preface 1,000 Times" created between 1990 and 1995 reflects this mysterious atmosphere of meditation.

Therefore, "Form of Meditation" is not only an expression of personal emotions, but also a profound reflection on artistic form and cultural time.

Young Artists

Feng Baoli's mixed media works, with rich visual language and profound cultural connotations, demonstrate the infinite possibilities of contemporary art in terms of media and concepts. Through etching, spraying and assembly techniques, his works create artistic effects with rich texture and visual impact. This diverse use of materials gives his works a layered beauty, while also being obviously experimental. In terms of color, he prefers to use calm neutral tones, such as off-white, and uses local bright colors to highlight the theme of the work.

Jia Hongjun's works are often drawn from Buddhist classics and China's Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism culture. By combining the talisman images in traditional culture with contemporary art forms, they present critical and practical significance.

Jiang Miao's "Eye in the Sky. 2024.9" takes life and the universe as its theme. The painting is based on the "Eight Diagrams", the soul symbol "spin", and the "color" that releases energy, presenting the life and truth of the spirit, soul, and body; they absorb from the invisible and then release spiritual energy and magnetic fields to the material world, contributing more thoughts on the continuation of human civilization in today's problematic world full of material.

Li Wenpeng's Travel Series of Works attempts to use his own printmaking language to construct the landscape world of the immortals he imagines. Immortals are a unique artistic image in China, carrying people's highest imagination and yearning for beauty. With the development of society, they have gradually integrated into people's lives and have had a lasting impact on politics, economy, thought, customs, beliefs, culture, art and other aspects.

In this era, the author uses immortals as the theme of his work, creating a picture of immortals of various images hiding among mountains and rivers and living a leisurely life. He wants to try to allow people who live in today's society with an increasingly fast pace of life to slow down time while looking at the picture to find the image of the leisurely immortal in the painting, and feel a sense of ease and comfort that is different from usual.

Liu Zequn's Existence series not only demonstrates his unique understanding and expression of art, but also reflects his profound thoughts on existence, life and the nature of the universe. Through these works, Liu Zequn attempts to explore and express the complex and delicate relationship between humans and the universe, as well as the return and importance of fragile human nature against the backdrop of the strength and hardness of material technology.

Sun Ziyao’s landscape painting “I am a Link in the Cycle” is complete and simple, with lines as powerful as those of a knife or an axe, showing his unique insights and deep understanding of the natural landscape. Sun Ziyao’s artistic creation is not limited to the expression of personal emotions, but also focuses on the relationship between man and nature. His life experience in Tibet has filled his works with awe and reflection on the natural environment, exploring the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature. His works are collected by public institutions such as the Central Academy of Fine Arts and the Hong Kong Museum of Contemporary Art.

Tu Shaohui's works often present a poetic dream, clear and elegant, with strong visual impact and profound philosophical thinking. His creative inspiration comes from careful observation of nature and deep understanding of traditional culture. In Tu Shaohui's works, flying birds are a theme that runs through the whole process. Whether it is flower and bird paintings or starry sky paintings, flying birds have become an important element in his creation. Through the images of these flying birds, he cleverly connects traditional paintings with modern paintings, showing a unique innovation.

Wu Qian's paintings are based on oriental aesthetics, combined with the Western abstract expressionist style, to express the Taoist spirit of "inaction and indifference" through creation. For example, in the work "2022-39", he used oil painting to present the spiritual continuation of traditional literati ink painting. In addition, his works also reflect his unique understanding and interpretation of color, light and shadow, and artistic conception.

Zhang Meng's works combine the aesthetic connotations of traditional Chinese painting with the aesthetic characteristics of Western modern art, showing the integration of Eastern and Western aesthetics. Her art contains strong oriental interest and philosophical elements, and is also full of the beauty and modeling pursuit of Western modernist art. This integration is not only reflected in her painting techniques, but also in her pursuit of artistic conception and poetry.

Zhang Meng's work "Landscape 20211111" For Zhang Meng, landscape is a methodology. She combines the intermediate state with comprehensive perception, does not make drafts, does not predict the direction, and unfolds the "space for action" on the canvas in each "process", laying out abstract and moving landscape images, creating a deep attention-style "immersion". In the end, the author and the viewer can perceive the connection between the outside world and themselves, forming a new atmospheric place in the work.

Zhu Dan's "121" is deeply influenced by Australian Aboriginal artists, and this influence is reflected in his treatment of abstract art. Unlike many Asian artists who are influenced by the American abstract art movement, Zhu Dan's non-figurative paintings reflect more of the vitality of the earth's natural growth and ritualized spiritual expression, reflecting a primitive desire for "life" and a deep thinking about "existence". Zhu Dan's works also show his deep interest in Chinese calligraphy and Eastern philosophy. The concept of reincarnation from "birth to death" frequently appears in his works, which is the core expression of his creation.

Woodblock Watermark Special Exhibition

After Rongbaozhai’s Deputy General Manager and Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary Li Chunlin presented an exquisite Wu Guanzhong woodblock watermark work to the Chinese Cultural Center in Paris on behalf of Rongbaozhai, many Chinese and French guests came on stage together to cut the ribbon for the “Reflections of Mind—Rongbaozhai Contemporary Art Exhibition and Woodblock Watermark Special Exhibition”. Minister Chen Li announced the official opening of the exhibition at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Rongbaozhai is a treasure of Chinese culture. It was first built during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. It was named after the elegant meaning of "making friends with literature and taking honor as a treasure". It enjoys the reputation of "the palace of Chinese art", "the folk Forbidden City" and "the national gallery". Rongbaozhai's overseas communication project is a new initiative to vigorously promote the "going out" of China's excellent traditional culture on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of Rongbaozhai. Through the display of traditional Chinese culture and art, intangible cultural heritage skills, contemporary art and immersive digital exhibitions, the collection of overseas art treasures, and the establishment of Rongbaozhai's overseas center, the project has effectively promoted the globalization of Rongbaozhai's brand and the expansion of its overseas business, and continuously expanded the dissemination and influence of Chinese culture overseas.

Philippe de Lestrange is an old friend of the Chinese Cultural Center in Paris. He has participated in the Sino-French Art Dialogue Exhibition and Forum. He said that he was honored to be invited to participate in the opening ceremony of the Rongbaozhai exhibition. He spoke highly of the overall planning and artistic atmosphere of the exhibition, and believed that the combination of Chinese and Western exhibition styles embodies the fusion of Chinese and French art. He sincerely hopes that the center will be able to hold more high-quality exhibitions in the future and continue to flourish.

French artist Ira de Puiff said she was impressed by the work "Eye in the Sky" in the exhibition. She particularly appreciated the exquisite woodcutting technique and the bright and rich colors in this work, and said frankly that this type of painting deeply attracted her attention. As a modern artist, she highly appreciates the visual impact brought about by the strong contrast of colors in this work. At the same time, she highly praised the exhibition's innovative form of integrating modern art with traditional Chinese painting, saying that it perfectly interprets the combination of Chinese and Western cultures.

French youth Gu Bo said that today's event is one of the closing activities of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France in 2024 and the China-France Cultural Tourism Year. Many people who have worked hard and made contributions this year gathered at the scene. 2024 is a very beautiful year. We look forward to more cooperation and more mutual benefit between China and France in the future.

The particularly eye-catching "Rong Bao Zhai Intangible Cultural Heritage Woodblock Watermark" experience and stamp collection and check-in activities in this exhibition attracted many members of the public to participate enthusiastically, experience the intangible cultural heritage skills with 128 years of historical inheritance, and print their own "intangible cultural heritage mark".

At the opening ceremony, a well-designed modern dance and the ink rubbing segment performed by the inheritors of Rongbaozhai's intangible cultural heritage attracted everyone's attention. Chinese dancer Wang Wenhu wore a flowing gown and held a silk folding fan with gradient ink. In the grand and melodious music, he took the historical background of Rongbaozhai as the source of inspiration. When he closed the fan and danced, it was like holding a pen dipped in ink, writing moving poems in his mind; the dancer opened the fan like unfolding a piece of rice paper with thick ink and light ink. The silky and rhythmic rice paper matched the calligraphy and painting works being printed by Wen Zhuang, a representative inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage, and the dancers presented the connotation of woodblock watermarks through exaggerated dance movements, allowing the audience to experience the multi-dimensionality and expansion and contraction of art.

Visitors at the Paris exhibition

Exhibition in Paris

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