Ever since it was a concept, the Beijing Biennale has encountered more controversy than most other cultural events in China.

People asked whether there were too many biennales in the country and whether the time was right to display contemporary art forms.

They also questioned whether a contemporary art exhibition sponsored by the central government and the government of the national capital would be "open enough" to promote real creativity and whether it was not a waste of money to host such an expensive international exhibition.

But when the First Beijing Biennale finally started on September 20, it inevitably attracted so much attention from international art circles that it instantly became the greatest art event in China for the year.

"I must go and have a look," said Kitty Caparella, a reporter from the Philadelphia Daily News who is touring China.

"They have even heard about it in Philadelphia. 'There is a big show in Beijing and you must go,' they said."

With a budget of 9 million yuan (US$1.1 million) from the government and other resources, the month-long event, which has probably cost more than any other single visual art show in China, is co-sponsored by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the Beijing municipal government and the Chinese Artists' Association.

Featuring more than 400 works by 270 artists from 43 countries, the main body of the biennale is being held at the newly refurbished National Art Museum of China (NAMOC) and the China Millennium Monument Art Museum. Meanwhile, 15 concurrent art exhibitions from home and abroad are being held at seven other major venues in the city, among them the Yanhuang Art Museum and the National Museum of China.

"Besides its large scale, the opening of the Beijing Biennale has been important by itself as it shows China is pushing confidently to the world its contemporary art works besides heritage," said Jin Shangyi, chairman of the Chinese Artists' Association and one of the three chief curators of the biennale, the other two being Liu Dawei, who is vice-chairman of the association, and Feng Yuan, who is director of the art bureau of the Ministry of Culture.

According to Jin, biennales -- large international exhibitions of contemporary art held once every two years -- have become an increasingly popular way of showcasing art and culture to the world. Among the best known is the Venice Biennale, which has been held 50 times and is regarded as the "Olympics of contemporary art" because of its importance and influence in the art world.

Since the 1990s, biennales and triennials, which are held every three years, have emerged in Chinese cities. By 2002, the Shanghai Biennale, the first major biennale of China, had been staged for the fourth time at the Shanghai Art Museum. In 2001, Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, had its first biennale at the Chengdu Museum of Modern Art, sponsored by a private enterprise. In 2002, the first Guangzhou Triennial was held at the Guangdong Museum of Art in South China's Guangdong Province.

Debate prevails

Heated debate persisted around the nation's pioneering biennales and triennial, mostly between the older generations of artists and younger ones on whether the new art forms such as installation and performance are "corrupting" art and traditional values. A lawsuit was even initiated at the beginning of the year as an oil painter claimed to have seen a "disgusting" installation at the Guangdong Museum of Art.

Such debate was settled in April when China planned to join the Venice Biennale for the first time, and then news was officially released that the first Beijing Biennale was to go ahead.

"We saw the biennale as a signal of policy change that the new themes and forms of art, including the avant-garde, have indeed been accepted if they were still regarded as being 'underground' at the 2002 Shanghai Biennale," said Zhang Wei, a Beijing performance artist.

Among the works shown there was a funny print by Xu Bing, a world-renowned Chinese avant-garde artist.

Entitled "Signs and the Calligraphy of Chinese Characters: Man, Woman and Nursery," the work includes signs of men, women and nurseries as seen on the doors of toilets, and under each of them are characters created by Xu himself.

Xu, who was known for his self-made characters, mocked the "senseless" world of words, which people depend on in the daily life.

While such pieces as Xu's are included, traditional paintings and sculptures are still the focus of the Beijing Biennale, said curator Liu.

"It's a fact that most of the existing biennales in the West and in China concentrate on avant-garde, new media art. There is a worrying tendency in the contemporary art world of increasingly neglecting the universal artistic heritage of painting and sculpture," he said.

"So we would like to do something special, something oriental and something Chinese."

Creation is stressed in traditional art including Chinese ink and wash, and portraits of common people's lives, which seems to impress both the curators and visitors more than those with lofty themes.

In the displayed oil painting "Yangguan Sandie (Three Variations on the Yangguan Pass)," artist Wang Hongjie depicts dawn at a small railway station, where immigrant workers from rural areas are waiting in an urban town for their train to take them home.

In the dark background penetrated by hopeful sunbeams, people sleep, weave sweaters, read newspapers and chat. Prominently positioned on the canvas are two young men wearing fur hats, typical in Northeast China. They are looking over luggage.

"The ongoing biennale looks fresher and more interesting than the Third National Oil Painting Exhibition, which has just ended here," said Qi Li'an, a regular visitor to the national art museum.

Despite its breakthroughs, the event has been criticized as "too conservative to be a biennale," by a veteran Beijing art critic, who declined to give his name.

"Most Chinese artists involved are already established, when the goal of a biennale should be to promote young artists," he said.

Curator Liu said: "Since this is the first Beijing Biennale, we want to try to make sure everything is dealt with properly and to present works of art we believe are most representative and, at the same time, acceptable to the general public."

Satellite shows

As expected, unknown and avant-garde artists are giving dozens of unofficial "satellite shows for the Beijing Biennale" around the country.

In the capital, about 20 exhibitions are ongoing at commercial galleries, clubs and art spaces such as the 798 Factory in Dashanzi in northeastern Beijing.

In Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province, artist Gao Xian and Gao Qiang will give a performance entitled "Would You Like to Hug Me," in which about 10,000 people hug each other in an effort to relieve the feeling of isolation in modern society.

Besides the national influence, the Beijing Biennale also stands out because of its exceptionally international nature.

"This makes the Beijing Biennale different from other biennales and triennials in China," said Tao Qin, director of the event's organizing committee.

The main body of the biennale includes 290 works by artists from overseas. Many of the international artists are masters nominated by Italian curator Vincenzo Sanfo. They include Spanish artist Antoni Tapies and Italian artist Enzo Gucchi.

There are many interesting works from small countries making the debut in China. Danish artist Bjoern Noergaard installed three plastic figures having dinner around a table and watching television at the exhibition hall.

Entitled "News from a War," the artist questions if war is nothing but entertainment to the rich and powerful, and if there is a globally recognized criterion for consciousness.

Meanwhile, visitors blamed some international artists, including masters, for not bringing their best or most recent works.

"I have seen a few works on display in picture albums," said visitor Li Wei.

Tao Qin said: "We believe the Beijing Biennale is a long-term commitment and we are striving to make it as attractive as the one in Venice, hopefully when the third is held in 2008 during the Olympics."

(China Daily September 29, 2003)