Their Majesties King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway are visiting the Beijing Olympics from August 8th to 18th 2008. Most of their time in China is spent cheering Norwegian athletes on from the sports tribunes. But Her Majesty The Queen will also spend some days privately enjoying other aspects of the Olympic City. On Tuesday morning, the Beijing Biennale at the National Art Museum of China had the honour of welcoming Her Majesty as their guest.
“Oriental Melody”
Her Majesty is known for having a highly developed interest in contemporary arts, and she took her time admiring the many international artworks exhibited. In the Norwegian pavilion, the work “Oriental melody” by Guang Hua Wang received particular attention from Her Majesty. The artist was born in China but has lived in Norway for a long time, and Her Majesty said she was fascinated by the mix of Chinese and international influences in the painting.
- Impressed
The Beijing Biennale was the Queen's second visit to a Chinese art institution during her stay. During the week-end, she made a trip to Beijing's first contemporary art gallery: Red Gate Gallery in Dongbianmen. Her Majesty praised the simple elegance of the exhibition.
- I was impressed,she said.
And the Queen is still eager to see more. When leaving the National Art Museum of China, she told Norwegian media that she was looking forward to further explore Beijing's contemporary art scene.
Norwegian pavilion
Norway is one out of only three countries to have their own pavilion at the Beijing Biennale 2008. 18 acclaimed contemporary Norwegian artists are represented in Norway's pavilion, which is curated by Anne Wiland and Sissel Ree Schjønsby of Kunstcentralen. Norway's pavilion was made possible through the ”ArtEduNorway in China-ArtEduChina in Norway 2007-2009” development project, which is a partnership between the Norwegian Association of Art Societies, the Chinese Artists Association and the Norway-China Culture Exchange Center.
Beijing Biennale 2008 is the third to be held, and will be the largest art and cultural event in China this year. In addition to the three pavilions, more than 700 international artists will be taking part.