News from NAMOC in April 13--With the support of South African, Brazilian, Russian and Indian Embassies in China and with the help of Chinese Embassies in South Africa, Brazil, Russia and India, “Uniqueness and Convergence - Special Exhibition of BRICS Alliance of Art Museums and Galleries” sponsored by NAMOC was held in Hall 2 and 3 of NAMOC in April 13, 2018 when flowers are blooming and spring is approaching. There were 62 classical works which were collected and selected by such League members as NAMOC, Lziko, National Gallery of Art of Brazil, State Museum of Oriental Art of Russia and National Gallery of Modern Art of India.

BRICS have not only achieved great achievements in economic construction and social development, but also are important representatives of multi-civilization of humankind. Under the new world cultural pattern, their culture and art are playing an increasingly important role. In order to promote the development of art, strengthen the artistic exchanges of the five countries and safeguard the world culture diversity, we deeply realize it is necessary to launch peer-to-peer dialogue among the art galleries of BRICS.

In July 2017, during the Second Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Culture, representatives from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa signed the Letter of Intent for the Founding of BRICS Alliance of Art Museums and Galleries under the leadership of Minister Luo Shugang, formally clarifying the willingness of BRICS to promote close exchanges and cooperation on the area of art gallery. Since then, NAMOC has been actively liaising with other four art galleries, jointly promoting the establishment of the Statute of BRICS Alliance of Art Museums and Galleries and establishing a joint exhibition and forum mechanism.

Forum of BRICS Alliance of Art Museums and Galleries was held on April 12. Representatives of the five art galleries signed a joint declaration, marking the formal establishment of BRICS Alliance of Art Museums and Galleries. The conference unanimously decided: Mr. Wu Weishan, Director of NAMOC, would be the Secretary-General of the BRICS Alliance of Art Museums and Galleries for 5 years. During that period, its Secretariat would be set up at NAMOC to handle the daily contact between the members. The 2nd Forum of BRICS Alliance of Art Museums and Galleries and the joint exhibition would be held at the National Gallery of Modern Art of India. Adviita Goranajak, Curator of the gallery, would be the Executive Secretary of the BRICS Alliance of Art Museums and Galleries for a term of one year. On April 13, the participating guests witnessed the first opening of Special Exhibition of BRICS Alliance of Art Museums and Galleries, becoming a memorable history of mankind.  

Mr. Liu Yuzhu, member of Party Group of Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Director of State Administration of Cultural Heritage, said in his speech: “People who share same attitudes and values will not be blocked by mountains and seas. BRICS, all coming from four continents, boast rich and splendid cultural traditions and artistic creation, which represent human civilization, embody cultural diversity and human creativity and accumulate the consensus on the value of pursuing a better life. Such components have become an important basis for the cooperation of BRICS. The special exhibition of BRICS Alliance of Art Museums and Galleries and the Forum of BRICS Alliance of Art Museums and Galleries are the first concrete activity initiated by the professional institution cooperation mechanism after the successful holding of the Second Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Culture, having taken the first step toward BRICS to carry out pragmatic cooperation in the cultural field."

Mr. Wu Weishan expressed his deep gratitude to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of PRC, Bureau for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, Embassies of BRICS in China, member-organizations of the Alliance and participated artists. In his speech, he introduced several aspects of the first meeting of BRICS Alliance of Art Museums and Galleries: "The first is 'Uniqueness and Convergence' of the exhibition". Each country has selected its own representative and unique works to make exchanges; the second is the holding of the forum held here yesterday with eight distinguished guest members giving keynote speeches respectively. The third is the establishment of BRICS Alliance of Art Museums and Galleries, the publication of the declaration and the establishment of the statute." The speech also indicates that though the works created by artists of the five countries differ in terms of subject matter, style, technique and expression, they all have been integrated in a beautiful atmosphere, which explains the spirit of BRICS, 'open, inclusive, cooperative, and communicative'. We will earn more cooperation and achievements in the future."

Mr. Goranajak said: “we all live on the earth, regardless of culture and history; we all stand on the planet. Both culture and human own such connection and root. We need to be tightly linked to each other to resist big storm. In India, our idea is close to nature. Through the feeling of nature, we apply our idea to artistic creation. As long as our root has been closely connected, we can understand and appreciate the art of our countries through artistic expression. If we can stand together like this, we can certainly face any future obstacles.”

After the establishment of BRICS Alliance of Art Museums and Galleries, regular forums, joint exhibitions, mutual visits of encouraging research and other exchanges and interaction will be formed to better demonstrate the cultural power of BRICS. To take this opportunity, NAMOC has hired Ms. Xana Omar, CEO of Iziko, Mr. Marcelo Araujo, Director of Bureau of General Affairs of Brazilian Museum and Mr. Goranajak, Director of National Gallery of Modern Art of India as international consultants of NAMOC with issued certificates. The Director of the State Museum of Oriental Art of Russia, Mr. Sedov, has been employed as an international consultant of NAMOC at the time of the "Mutual Reference of Civilizations – High-end Art Forum on Sculpture" in September last year, therefore, he witnessed the appointment ceremony of the other three this time.

At the end of the opening ceremony, Mr. Wu Weishan Ms. Granville Zini, Deputy Executive Director of the Core Function Department of Iziko, Mr. Marcelo Araujo, Director of Bureau of General Affairs of Brazilian Museum and Mr. Sedov, Director of the State Museum of Oriental Art of Russia and Mr. Goranajak, Director of National Gallery of Modern Art of India, jointly raised the curtain for BRICS Alliance of Art Museums and Galleries. The media meeting of the exhibition was held in NAMOC on the morning that day.

Under the framework of the exhibition theme, members of BRICS Alliance of Art Museums and Galleries have selected classic works from the gallery collection, and have introduced representative works of several artists in an attempt to outline their own cultural forms and ideological quality. NAMOC has introduced nine pieces of ink and wash paintings created by Ren Bonian, Wu Changshuo, Qi Baishi, Yv Fei'an, Pan Tianshou, Chen Dayu, Rao Zongyi, Wu Guanzhong and Liu Jude. They are composed of Chinese birds and flowers that symbolize harmony and peace and a sculpture work of Mr. Wu Weishan based on Lao-tzu, echoing the theme of "peaceful development and common prosperity" and the principle of "mutual recognition of civilization" and responding to the promotion of the spirit of the keynote speech of a new type of international relation that "builds a shared community" proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the UN headquarters in Geneva in 2017.