Wu Weishan, Director, National Art Museum of China
The exhibition at the National Museum of Australia of three sculptures is a sister to the National Museum of Australia’s exhibition held at the National Art Museum of China (NAMOC). This cultural exchange provides an opportunity for spiritual communication through art.
One of the three NAMOC works on display at the National Museum of Australia is a sculpture by Mr Liu Kaiqu, the first Director of NAMOC and one of the pioneers of modern Chinese sculpture. It is titled Yak.
Liu Kaiqu went and studied in France in his youth. Upon his return to China, he was at the forefront of modern Chinese sculpture, creating a multitude of works that are emblematic of the national spirit, reflecting the times and celebrating the people.
Yak was created based on observations of the lives of yaks living in Tibet. Though it is a small statue of white marble, it reflects the great force of nature. It is both lifelike and decorative.
The second work is a statue by Mr Xiong Bingming. Xiong Bingming studied in France, where he decided to live. As a sculptor, he was influenced by Chinese philosophy and freehand brushwork. The sculptures he created during his interaction with French culture display the influence of freehand style.
The third work is a tiny statue that I donated to NAMOC – Sleeping Child – which portrays a boy in a deep state of slumber.
These three works are, in my eyes, typical of the three artists’ practice. One went and studied in France and returned to China. The second went and studied in France and then stayed there. And I, as the third of these artists, have, since the start of China’s reform and opening up, travelled all over the world, comparing Chinese and Western cultures, informing my creation of Sleeping Child.
These three works, small as they are, embody the sentiments and the pursuits of several Chinese sculptors. I thank the National Museum of Australia very much for having provided an excellent space to display the three statues, where they can communicate and connect with the Australian audience. Thanks once again.
I hope that the Chinese people and the Australian people have a friendship that lasts forever and that our art and cultural exchanges continue to expand.
Thank you.
这一次到澳大利亚国家博物馆举办三件雕塑的展览，和澳大利亚国家博物馆在中国美术馆举办的展览是姐妹关系，是一个文化的交换展、交流展，也是我们通过艺术来进行心灵沟通的一次展览。
这次去澳大利亚国家博物馆的三件中国美术馆的馆藏作品，一件是中国美术馆的首任馆长、中国现代雕塑的开拓者之一刘开渠先生的《牦牛》。
刘开渠先生早年留学法国，回国以后，他带领现代的雕塑家们，创作了大量的表现民族精神、表现时代、讴歌人民的作品。这一件《牦牛》它取材于这个对西藏那一片土地上那些牦牛生存状态的观察，创作出这样一件虽然不大的汉白玉雕塑，但是渗透着伟大自然力量的作品出来。这一件作品既写实也带有一定的装饰性。
第二件作品是熊秉明先生的作品。他是留学法国的，然后又在法国生活。这样一位雕塑家，他继承中国文化里面的哲学、写意文学精神，在与法国文化对话过程当中创作出来的雕塑，具有强烈的写意性。
还有一件是我捐赠给中国美术馆的一件小小的《睡童》，它表现了一个孩童睡着的状态。
三件作品应当来说分别代表了三个不同的方面：一是从（在）法国留学（到回）到中国；还有从中国去法国留学，然后留在法国；还有一个我从改革开放以来，不断游走于世界各地，在东西方文化对比当中创作出《睡童》这样的作品。
我觉得三件作品虽然小，但是都体现了几代中国雕塑家的情感，也体现了几代雕塑家的创作。十分感谢澳大利亚国家博物馆为这三件雕塑找到了一个非常好的空间，让它们在那里可以和澳大利亚的观众来进行对话。再次感谢。
也祝愿中国和澳大利亚两国人民的友谊世世代代，我们的艺术交流不断地向高处、向深处、向远处来推进。
谢谢大家。