Room for a view

A traveling abstract art exhibit opens at Kempinski Hotel Beijing, leaving reporter Xu Xiao wondering about varied perceptions of reality.

Today, people don't have to go to a museum to see the artwork of the highly creative - a fine hotel is another option.

Since Feb 16, the Kempinski Hotel Beijing Lufthansa Center has hosted a New Directions of Art traveling exhibition organized by the Italy-China Cooperation Culture Development Co.

According to Stephan Interthal, the hotel's managing director, the Kempinski chain - now more than 100 years old - is known for its refined tastes due to its long heritage. It has long supported the arts, exemplified locally in its landmark Lufthansa Center property that blends European elements with the culture of Beijing.

Kempinski now has a portfolio of 71 five-star hotels in 31 countries and continues to add new properties around the world.

Its partner in the art show, the Italy-China Cooperation Culture Development Co, has organized exhibitions for both domestic and overseas artists in many Chinese and foreign cities.

The current traveling exhibit will advance culture and the understanding of art, Interthal says, as it begins in Beijing, then stops off for 13 months at a time in Kempinski properties in Suzhou, Wuxi, Xi'an, Yinchuan, Huizhou and Chongqing.

The works by 27 artists on display are authorized to carry the logo of the Beijing Olympic Games. The Olympic portfolio has already been on display at the Imperial Ancestral Temple in Beijing, the Qingdao Olympic Museum, and museums in Shenzhen and Taiwan. Its overseas hosts include the Contemporary Art Center in New York and the Olympic Museum in Lausanne.

At the Kempinski exhibits, visitors can enjoy a casual atmosphere complete with fine coffee and Western snacks as they immerse themselves in art.

They may be attracted by post-modern paintings with mysterious lines and strokes, taking some time to let their imaginations flow, or they might smile in front of a work comprised of just the single, carefully painted Chinese character "dong" - which means "east" - and consider why a Westerner would make such effort to create it and what the implications of the simple statement are.

The exhibit's abstractions, colors and shapes hit with a strong visual impact on first sight and could get visitors wondering about various perceptions of reality or notions about the relationship between humans and nature.

In addition to its artistic value, the Olympic Portfolio is significant for Sino-Western ties, says Caterina Feng, general manager of the Italy-China Cooperation Culture Development Co.

Feng tells China Daily that after talks with the British Museum early this year, an agreement was reached for it to become a museum collection at the end of 2012.

Feng says if any of the pieces are purchased, part of the money will be donated to a Belgium charity called Morning Tears that helps children whose parents are in prison.

She hopes there will be more events to provide a touch of high art for the general public without the need to buy a ticket to a museum.

"Art exerts a gradual uplifting influence on people and that's what we are trying to do in cooperation with Kempinski," she said.

(China Daily 02/25/2012 page13)