2019 Guanlan International Print Biennial Preface

Guanlan International Print Biennial is jointly hosted by the China Artists Association, Shenzhen Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the People’s Government of Longhua District, Shenzhen City. Guanlan International Print Biennial adopts a curatorial system. The competition has been held successfully six times in a row in the past twelve years, and has come into shape as a fixed mode which includes a main exhibition plus a themed exhibition. Not only has it provided a solid academic foundation for the establishment and the advancement of Guanlan Original Printmaking Base and the China Printmaking Museum; it has also imposed a broad and profound impact on the international circle of printmaking. Guanlan International Print Biennial is highly regarded by print artists of varied nationalities. By degress, it has grown into a platform for displaying printmaking art and for sharing artistic concepts on an international basis.

With great support from artists worldwide, Guanlan International Print Biennial has been surging ahead throughout these years. As practical experience of curating exhibitions accumulates, the quality of each new exhibition has surpassed the previous ones. Ever since its establishment in the year 2014, China Printmaking Museum has served as a space of highest professionalism for working and exhibiting. Guanlan International Print Biennial has officially become a permanent international academic exchange program. Responding to the call for submission of the 7th Guanlan International Print Biennial 2019, 4,598 pieces of works were delivered to Guanlan along with the enthusiasm of 2,551 artists from 105 countries and regions. After the first and the final selections under the supervision of the jury committee, 300 pieces of works were selected for the 7th Guanlan International Print Biennial 2019, among which twelve pieces were awarded “honorary works”. These works contribute to the crystallization of the up-to-date artistic perception and techniques in the field of contemporary international printmaking, as well as to the expression of printmakers’vigour for innovation and their passion for art-making.

A themed exhibition will also be presented after the grand opening of the 7th Guanlan International Print Biennial 2019 with excellence. The themed exhibition is notably characterized by academic orientation, with the participation of the invited internationally influential print artists, the leading figures in different schools in the international print circle, the jury members of international print exhibitions and the youth artists who have already won major prizes in international exhibitions. In addition, those who have been invited to participate in the themed exhibitionare not part of those selected by the 7th Guanlan International Print Biennial 2019. In the themed exhibition, the absence of voting enables artists of the younger generation to embrace more opportunities, leading to the elevation of the overall status of Guanlan International Print Biennial.

The promising vision of Guanlan International Print Biennial has benefited from the relentless support of the hosting organizations and the active participation of artists worldwide. For the time being, Guanlan Original Printmaking Base and China Printmaking Museum integrate into the full-scale development of GBA (Guangdong - Hong Kong - Macao Greater Bay Area). The advantages of internationalization and professionalism of Guanlan International Print Biennial will be expanded to forge a high-end platform for international exchanges in cultures and the arts, providing quality service for print artists from around the world.