Exhibition puts ties in the frame

Artists draw inspiration from China-France relations, Zhang Lei reports.

Long lines of visitors in front of the Guimet Museum, also known as the National Museum of Asian Arts, on Oct 18 in Paris have become a hot topic of conversation on the French capital's art scene.

The lines were for the opening of Kisses from Beijing, an art exhibition celebrating the 10th anniversary of Yishu 8 Maison des Arts in Beijing, which brought together 20 Chinese and French artists and their works as a celebration on Sino-French cultural exchanges. The Chinese Ambassador to France Lu Shaye delivered a video speech to celebrate the opening of the exhibition.

Most of the artists have previously won the Yishu 8 Prize, and have traveled to Beijing or Paris to create their works. The exhibition, jointly curated by Sophie Makariou, director of the Guimet Museum, Henry-Claude Cousseau, president of the Yishu 8 Association, and Christine Cayol, founder of Yishu 8, showcases 25 artworks and 39 postcards specially created by the artists for the occasion.