9th BEIJING BIENNALE 
The Light of Life
Jan 18, 2022 – Mar 01, 2022
National Art Museum of China (NAMOC)
European Union Pavilion "The Spirit of Europe"
Exhibition Curator: Lucía Sollinger

Installation view - Phil Akashi

Phil Akashi has been selected to represent Belgium at the 9th Beijing Biennale. The exhibition will take place in the National Art Museum of China (NAMOC) from January 18th to March 01st 2022. Phil Akashi will present seven artworks from two ongoing series: “Yin Yang Handover" and "The Legend of the Dragon”. 

The Theme of the 9th Beijing Biennale is The Light of Life and will symbolize peace, unity, friendship and brightness. As a platform for international cultural exchanges, the Beijing Biennale is designed by both the Chinese Curatorial Committee and international curators. It enjoys the reputation of “the world’s largest art biennale for paintings and sculptures”. The Beijing Biennale promotes global harmony through contemporary artwork exhibitions and respects cultural diversity and dialogues between western and eastern cultures on an equal footing, thus gaining recognition and support from an increasing number of artists across the world.

National Art Museum of China (NAMOC)

For the first time in any international art biennale, a European Union Pavilion has been conceived to present works from European artists in a joint exhibition. Painting, photography, collage, video and installations, are brought together in one of the four official pavilions of the Beijing Biennale to convey the “Spirit of Europe”.

As described by "Creative Europe", art is a powerful tool that can change the way we think and act. This exhibition is inspired by this broad and powerful concept of art. Could art help us to think and act as European citizens? Could it succeed in defining us with a distinct cultural entity of our own? Could this common exhibition in China help us in this quest for unity? In short, is there such a thing as the "European Spirit"? It is with these questions in mind, and as an experiment, that this exhibition of European art in Beijing was conceived.  

I wish to thank all the participating artists for their great enthusiasm and constant support for this common European project, as well as their respective embassies, institutions, museums and galleries, and also the Delegation of the European Union to China for their backing and, of course, the Beijing International Art Biennale and the Chinese Ministry of Culture for providing us this unique opportunity.

Lucía Sollinger, Chief Curator

Installation view - Phil Akashi

LIST OF ARTWORKS IN THE EXHIBITION

UNTITLED #27, Hong Kong, 2019
Ink and acrylic on jute with Dongba script and seal imprints with Chinese characters 龍的傳人/
“Descendants of the Dragon”, 145x200x4 cm - Stamped lower right, signed, and dated on verso.
The Dongba script is the only pictographic writing system in use in the world today, from the
ethnic minority group Naxi, based in the Yunnan province

UNTITLED #38, Barcelona, 2020

Tweed wool fabric, laser prints, acrylic, spray paint, and cotton thread on canvas with
seal imprints with Chinese characters 龍的傳人/ “Descendants of the Dragon”, 139x103cm 
Signed, stamped and dated on verso.

Detail 

THE RETREAT OF YIN (WATER)
Ink and cinnabar paste on canvas with seal imprints with Chinese character: 冬/“winter”,
Shanghai 2013. 150x200x4cm 

UNTITLED #4, Shanghai, 2015

Ink and acrylic on canvas with seal imprints with Chinese characters  龍的傳人/ “Descendants of the Dragon”,

125x165x4 cm framed - Dated and signed on verso

THE WARMTH OF YANG (FIRE)
Ink and cinnabar paste on canvas with seal imprints with Chinese character: 夏/“summer”,
Shanghai 2013. 59"x78.7"x1.5" / 150x200x4cm

UNTITLED #8, Shanghai, 2015
Ink on canvas with seal imprints with Chinese characters 龍的傳人/ “Descendants of the Dragon”,
125x165x4 cm framed - Dated and signed on verso

UNTITLED #3, Shanghai, 2015

Ink and acrylic on canvas with seal imprints with Chinese characters

 龍的傳人/ “Descendants of the Dragon”, 125x165x4 cm framed - Dated and signed on verso

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