2021 Chengdu Biennale: SUPER FUSION
SUPER FUSION
2021 Chengdu Biennale
November 6, 2021–April 6, 2022















 
With the chairman of the China Artists Association and director of Beijing’s Central Academy of Fine Arts Fan Di’an as chief curator and art historian Lu Peng as director of the academic committee, the exhibition brings together art specialists from all over the world to participate as members of a team of curators. The Biennale will present over 500 pieces from almost 300 artists, providing the people of Chengdu with a wide range of artworks that reflect the diverse and responsive nature of Chengdu’s artistic and cultural climate, while boosting the status of the city as a cultural capital.
 
The Biennale and the City: The Urban-Artistic Connection
A biennale is one of the most influential forms of international art exhibition and is an opportunity to present the spirit of the city in which it is hosted. As an international, cultural and academic event held on a large scale, it is an ideal platform for exchanging artistic ideas and displaying the latest achievements and innovations of art—both local and global. Chengdu is a city of unique character, the result of a fusion of disparate cultural and social elements. As such it is a rich source of inspiration for artists and a perfect location for an art biennale.
 
In recent years, art and culture have become an essential aspect of China’s development, and contemporary art is a vital part of this. The city of Chengdu in particular is engaged in a new model for urban development that puts people at the center. SUPER FUSION 2021 Chengdu Biennale is an important element of this project, bringing culture to the fore and acting as a catalyst for artistic activity in the city of Chengdu and Sichuan province. Its grand scale, contemporary outlook, international openness, and global impact will help cement Chengdu’s position as an international city of culture.
 
SUPER FUSION: The Philosophy of the Chengdu Biennale
The theme of the 2021 Chengdu Biennale is “SUPER FUSION.” Driven by a concern for the fate of humanity and the development of culture, it hopes to fuse the local and the global, the traditional and the avant-garde, the past and the modern, in order to present art in its multidimensional, cross-disciplinary aspect, providing an insight into the world of contemporary art in China and overseas. It is also a chance to present the spirit of Chengdu and its commitment to providing access to the ever-evolving field of contemporary art.
 
The Biennale consists of 8 thematic exhibitions, 17 parallel exhibitions, and an international Museum Director Summit entitled “Future Co-Conception.” The eight main themed exhibitions are: Polymorphic Co-Existence (curated by Fan Di’an, Lu Peng, Qiu Zhijie, Zhang Zikang, Yang Wei and Ji Shaofeng), which emphasizes the complex systems of interconnectivity within contemporary culture; Urban Co-Habitation (curated by Fang Zhenning and Han Tao), which explores art in the city; Technological Co-Respondence (curated by Qiu Zhijie and Jeffery Shaw), which focuses on the relationship between human and machine; Zeitgeist Co-Evolution (curated by Ji Yujie and Zhou Bo), which centers on youth, art and fashion; Ecological Co-Development (curated by Wang Shaoqiang and Jia Yunbo), which is an exhibition of international ecological art; Craft Co-Operation (curated by He Yangui and Li Keke), which looks at the development of traditional artistic techniques within a contemporary context; Ethnic Co-Creation (curated by Wu Hongliang and Xue Jiang), which draws from the artistic work of various ethnic groups in Sichuan; and Artistic Co-Inspiration (curated by Lu Peng and Wang Chunchen), which presents collaborative work created by art students from all over the world.
 
272 artists from a total of 35 countries and regions have been invited to join, including such international figures as Anish Kapoor and Tony Cragg from the United Kingdom, Katharina Grosse from Germany, and Chinese artists Xu Bing, Zhang Xiaogang, Zeng Fanzhi, Song Dong and Cao Fei. As well as featuring internationally renowned Chengdu artists like Zhou Chunya and He Duoling, the biennale will also present works by the new generation of young local artists.
 
策展团队：
本次展览由中国美术家协会主席、中央美术学院院长范迪安担任总策展人，著名艺术史学家吕澎任学术委员会主任，并将组建由多位全国知名艺术专家组成的策展团队与学术委员会。
 
展览结构：
作为现象级的大型艺术活动，本次展览将由8个主题展板块、1个国际美术馆馆长峰会和10个平行展板块组成。
 
其中主题展将分为“多态共生”、“家园共栖”、“智能共振”、“时潮共燃”、“生态共度”、“意匠共鸣”、“民族共情”、“美育共线”8个板块，而馆长峰会将以“未然共思”作为总主题。
本次展览共邀请了海内外275位艺术家参与，覆盖全球35个国家与地区，其中具有国际影响力的重要海外艺术家有来自英国的安尼施·卡普尔、托尼·克拉格、来自德国的卡塔琳娜·格罗斯等，国内艺术家有徐冰、张晓刚、曾梵志、宋冬、曹斐等。成都作为国内艺术重镇，不仅有周春芽、何多苓等具有国际性影响力的艺术家参展，还将有年轻一代本土艺术家的创作在本次双年展呈现。
 
“超融体”：双年展的学术主题与理念
在国际社会强调多边主义的背景下，“超融”成为人类命运共同体的艺术表述。“2021成都双年展”以“超融体”为总主题，正是从关心全人类命运与文化发展坐标出发，力求从全球与在地、城市与精神、观念与技术、青春与创造、生态与美学、传统与前卫、民族与文明等多重议题切入，通过综合艺术展览的形式实现跨领域、多维度、高层次的超级融合与联通，最终呈现中国乃至世界璀璨的当代文化。本届双年展以“超融体”为主旨，也展现了成都双年展勇于承担时代赋予的新使命、不断开创文化艺术新局面的魄力与责任感。
据悉，本次双年展主题展部分目前已邀请到275位海内外艺术家（其中境内186位，境外89位），逾500件作品参加。本次展览由中国美协主席、中央美术学院院长范迪安担任总策展人，由18位国际、国内知名策展人组成策展团队，他们是：吕澎、邱志杰、张子康、杨卫、冀少峰、方振宁、韩涛、Jeffery Shaw、纪玉洁、周博、王绍强、贾蕴博、何桂彦、李珂珂、吴洪亮、薛江、王春辰。学术委员会由著名艺术史学家吕澎作为主任，成员共有16位，他们分别是：王明贤、王春辰、王绍强、王璜生、吕品晶、刘家琨、张子康、苏新平、吴洪亮、何桂彦、宋协伟、杨卫、范迪安、邱志杰、冀少峰、李青稞。
 
“2021成都双年展”主题展八个板块
 
第一版块为“多态共生”，由范迪安、吕澎、邱志杰、张子康、杨卫、冀少峰担任联合策展人，共邀参展艺术家38位，拟展出作品65件／组。策展人认为：全球当代艺术和文化的发展，日益呈现出多态共生、多元互动的格局，这也是人类文化多样性的具体反映。该版块将涵盖不同文化背景下多样的艺术类型，形成交融共生、相互对话的视觉景观，促进艺术思想的高层次互动。
 
第二版块为“家园共栖”，由方振宁、韩涛担任联合策展人，共邀参展艺术家39位，拟展出作品87件／组。关于“家园共栖”概念的提出，策展人立意于探索该版块聚焦艺术与城市在现代化进程中的关系。从城市遗产保护到城市更新, 从社区文化到景观建筑, 从城市功能到智慧生活, 艺术创作不断介入城市空间, 唤醒城市功能, 包括对生态环境、空间环境、文化环境、视觉环境的改造与优化。
 
第三版块为“智能共振”，由邱志杰、Jeffery Shaw（澳籍）担任联合策展人，共邀38位参展艺术家，拟展出作品38件／组。该主题展的策展人认为：全球新一轮科技革命浪潮深刻地改变了社会生产方式和人们的生活方式,为艺术带来前所未有的机遇,人与计算机之间的交互连接形成了智能的共振。今天艺术创作与高新科技的深度融合,产生了大量新形态艺术作品。在人工智能、混合现实、脑科学、新材料、计算机视觉、机器人交互界面、算法图像和数据电影等领域的创新构成了艺术发展最前沿的探索。因此，该主题版块将反映全球科技艺术发展的趋势。
 
第四版块为“时潮共燃”，由纪玉洁、周博担任联合策展人，共邀参展艺术家28位，拟展出作品36件/组。现代城市繁荣的商业与消费环境，是彰显时尚潮流和设计的舞台，也是当代艺术创作的沃土。该版块将从全球化背景下，当代艺术与时尚、设计相互交融的理念出发，呈现艺术家最敏感的思考和最具活力的创意。艺术在时尚和设计的语境中重生并换发新的活力，共同呈现了全球当代艺术的一个重要面向。
 
第五版块为“生态共度”，王绍强、贾蕴博担任联合策展人，共邀参展艺术家24位，拟展出作品56件／组。该单元聚焦于生态环境的可持续发展的重要命题，全球面临气候变化、环境污染、物种灭绝等危机 , 构建生态共同体已经成为国际共识, 在生态艺术领域的许多作品, 为构建生态文化、解决全球生态问题提供策略性方案, 这类艺术在中国的展示才刚刚开始, 将有助于推动以艺术之思指向生存的方式。
 
第六版块为“意匠共鸣”，由何桂彦、李珂珂担任联合策展人，共邀参展艺术家25位，拟展出作品41件／组。该主题展的策展人认为：从全球视野角度看, 传统文化的创造性转换和创新性发展是当代重要课题，传统文化的当代转换既有源于本土的动机 , 也有国际相通的共性。因此，该版块将以文化遗产的活化、工匠精神的传承、意匠的创新为展示重点, 以全球视野反观本土传统 , 使传统工艺在当代创作的语境下实现再生。
 
第七版块为“民族共情”，由吴洪亮、薛江担任联合策展人，共邀参展艺术家19位，拟展出作品104件／组。四川是多民族聚居的地区，也是与西藏、云南等地区相邻的重要通道，在漫长悠久的历史中形成了丰富多样的民族文化积淀。2021年恰逢建党 100 周年和西藏和平解放 70 周年，成都双年展在注重当代艺术新形式和新动向的同时，以“民族共情”作为主题性创作版块，通过多民族主题的艺术创作专题展，回望历史进程，歌颂民族团结，赞美时代发展的伟大成就。
 
第八版块为“美育共线”，由吕澎、王春辰担任联合策展人，共邀参展艺术家62人，拟展出作品105件／组。该版块为全球美术院校联展, 邀请全球知名艺术院校的学生参展, 对最新的美术教育理念和前沿学术话题展开探讨, 分享美术教育的创新实践, 共同构建未来艺术教育全新模式, 从而形成智慧碰撞、多元发声、合作共赢的全球艺术教育共同体。