Cultural and artistic exchanges between China and Italy boast a long history, stretching back eight centuries to the thirteenth-century The Travels of Marco Polo. In the early eighteenth century, Giuseppe Castiglione arrived in Beijing, introducing oil painting techniques to the Qing court. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, while the Chinoiserie style swept across Europe, Italian art was likewise profoundly influenced by Eastern culture.
These cultural and artistic exchanges have made significant contributions to strengthening the friendly relations between the two nations. As ancient civilizations, the mutual appreciation and blending of our arts exemplifies the principle of "each beauty shining in its own way, and all beauties thriving together." In the era of globalization, the connection and interaction between Eastern and Western art serve as a bridge and bond for mutual understanding and economic and trade exchanges.
The China-Italy Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Plan for 2024-2027 states: "We are willing to uphold the centuries-old Silk Road relationship and maintain the momentum of bilateral relations. The millennium-old Silk Road, originating from ancient trade routes, embodies mutual understanding, openness, and dialogue between Eastern and Western civilizations. We will foster closer people-to-people and cultural exchanges to fully unleash the potential of the comprehensive strategic partnership." As we progress through the second decade of the new century, this forms the foundation and favorable environment for China-Italy cultural and artistic exchanges.
Since the mid-1940s, Italian contemporary painting has contributed movements such as "Neorealism," "Movimento Arte Concreta," "Abstract Art," "New Naturalism," "Italian Pop Art," "Arte Povera," "La Nuova Maniera," and "Transavantgarde." Italian contemporary art and painting have consistently remained a potent and "present" force, driving the historical progression of contemporary art from the post-World War II era to the present day.
The Other Shore of the Mirror: Italian Contemporary Art Exhibition is a key component of the Guardian Art Center's Winter International Art Season. This art season aims to systematically present outstanding contemporary artworks from various countries and regions, building a high-level platform for international cultural and artistic exchange and promoting cross-cultural understanding and cooperation. This exhibition is a concrete realization of that vision. By focusing on the diverse facets of Italian contemporary painting, it further enriches the content of the Guardian International Art Season and fosters interconnection within Chinese and international art ecosystems.
This exhibition, rooted in the innovation of the bonded art industry within the Free Trade Zone, will further promote Liaoning's cultural and economic exchanges with the outside world and advance the development of new cultural industry formats in the Shenyang Free Trade Zone. Through its nearly three-month duration, it will inaugurate the 2026 China-Italy Cultural and Artistic Exchange Season. This, in turn, will facilitate the implementation of the ADGY(including the planning for Italian and Belgian overseas warehouses under the Shenyang FTZ bonded art project) Sino-European Art Exchange Expansion Plan.
As the year ends and we welcome the new, The Other Shore of the Mirror: Italian Contemporary Art Exhibition draws a perfect conclusion for 2025 and opens up beautiful expectations for 2026. At the Guardian Art Center, from visual contemplation to immersive experience, this artistic feast from the Apennine Peninsula is destined to write a new chapter in the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Italy in this new era.
Bao Guitao (Curator / Art Critic)
