In the year 2006 when the Chinese economy has continuously developed and the Chinese artwork market rapidly opened up, Art Beijing 2006, the large-scale contemporary art exposition and taking “Pushing forward the Chinese Contemporary Art” as the core, will be solemnly opened on the occasion of the Autumn Festival.

The National Agricultural Exhibition Hall is one of the top 10 buildings in Beijing. Art Beijing 2006 will take a vigorous and hot contemporary art look in this ancient and dignified Su-style structure.

The Chinese contemporary artwork market is displaying a great tendency for development. Today, all forces from various circles rise up in scrambling for the art market. Even more the art expositions are multitude of names. Art Beijing 2006 takes the Chinese contemporary art as the main theme. It is clear and distinct. The contemporary art exposition of Art Beijing 2006 is also the first project of “Art Beijing”, the cultural creative brand product.

The aim of “Art Beijing” is surpassing. It not only oversteps the present situation of the domestic art expositions, but also tries to catch up the trend of the international art expositions. Therefore, it is not a simple platform without more requirements for participation, but combines learning with business closely, further stresses more learning and surpasses business as well.

In order to make “Art Beijing” brand become the market guidepost for influencing the overseas and domestic art resources, and then extend itself influence, the organizers of Art Beijing have done a lot of ample preparation work. Up to now, more than 100 participants have been approved and 82 participating galleries out of 200 applying organizations have been selected. Participants come from 12 countries and regions, such as China mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong; the galleries from Asia and other regions are South Korea, Japan, Indonesia;  the galleries from Europe and America are Germany, Spain, Italy, France, United States and Mexico. In particular, the participating galleries from Asia almost include and represent the pick of this area. Still more, the active participation of ARARIO BEIJING, Galleria Continua Beijing, ALEXANDER OCHS BEIJING, Shanghart Gallery from Beijing and Shanghai construct the basic essence of “Art Beijing”.

The internationalized lineup showed by Art Beijing resulted from on one hand the carrying out of strict approval by the Art Committee of Art Beijing, on the other hand it reflects the much attention that the organizer of exposition pays to winning over the international resources. Mr. Dong Mengyang , the Art Executive Director  of Art Beijing said on this point: “We design the pattern that the whole Art Beijing 2006 will take the proportion 5:3:2. That means the Chinese galleries will take 50%, Asian and European galleries will take 30% and 20% respectly. Based on investigation and researches, the pattern of exposition in this country is reasonable. It is also the pattern for realization in pushing forward the domestic art market and building up the international exchange platform ”.Therefore we can expect at Art Beijing the appearance of the original works by numerous well-known Chinese and foreign contemporary artists, such as Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst ,Arman, Zhu Dequn, Zhao Wuji, Fang Lijun, Yue Minjun, Zhou Chunya, Zeng Fanzhi and Yang Shaobin , thus providing such a rare chance for the contemporary artwork collectors and lovers.

The whole designing of Art Beijing 2006 activities has a strong appeal.

On the evening of October 5th, more than 1000 important collectors from the whole world will be present at the specially-fixed up VIP Preview Reception and Opening Ceremony. Volkswagen Company, concerning and supporting the art development for years has make great efforts in supporting “Art Beijing 2006” through sponsoring arts, especially in the academic construction of the theme exhibition of Art Beijing.
Art Beijing firstly keeps up with the internationalized expositions in the brand construction. The center of the importance is stressing on the academic construction. Forum on Art Economy will be held during the exposition. It includes the theme forum and special topic forum. The theme forum follows with interest the two contents---“The present situation and collecting trend of the contemporary art creation” and “Tactics of the art investment with management of art funds”. All speakers at the forum are top international experts engaged in the art market. They are Fan DiAn, the curator of China National Museum of Fine Arts, Uli Sigg, the former Switzerland Ambassador to China and art collector, John Tancock, Vice-Director of Sotheby’s New York Ltd and so on. Speakers of special topic forum are the responsible persons and experts mainly from well-known galleries, the overseas and domestic mass media, art media and net media. They will mainly talk about the operational management ways of the galleries, the responsibilities of the media to the art market.

Art Beijing 2006 will break through the existing content and appearance of art expositions, both emphasizing on the contemporary art as the theme content and combining the planners’ system as well as further taking up the most experienced and advanced art creation. On the occasion, Art Beijing 2006 will invite Pi Li, famous contemporary art exhibition curator to plan the theme exhibition –Art Unforbidden. The theme exhibition aims at introducing the most active art trend of thought and the artists. The participating young artists include Lin Minghong, Chen Wenbo, Zheng Guogu, Yang Fudong, Hong Donglu, and Qiu Anxiong. They try to provide the prospects for the art future from the academic points of view. It is also a breakthrough to the present situation of arts. Besides, in the open square of the National Agricultural Exhibition Hall, Art Beijing 2006 will organize the artists under 35 years old to have the cultural event “Youth Art  Zone”, thus providing an opportunity to the younger artists to display their art. They will work hard with the young artists and the visitors through direct and interactive ways. More than 20 young artists who are living in China, but coming from the different countries and regions will bring us their various feelings for Beijing through video, music and performances.
So far as we know that Beijing October will take Art Beijing 2006 as the radiation center. A complete set of peripheral exhibitions and all kinds of art activities will emerge one after another. For instance, Song Zhuang Art Festival, greatly supported by Tong Zhou Government; the well-known contemporary artist Fang Lijun’s first solo exhibition in China as well as the Opening Exhibition of Today Gallery of Fine Arts will be held in Today Gallery of Fine Arts; the Jiu Chang art complex open-house exhibition, Cao ChangDi open-house exhibition, and Guan Yintang Gallery open-house exhibition will become the eye-catching peripheral activities of Art Beijing 2006.

Art Beijing 2006 will have its feet on the global background, aiming at “Promoting equal conversation and developing together”. Its norms are “Seizing the opportunity, creating new development and having concrete cooperation”. On the basis of praising highly of wider inter-connection, unity and cooperation, mutual trust and prosperity, and develop in coordination, we will jointly build up the intercontinental meeting of the art industry development; create together the international platform for art exchange and trade.
We are convinced that through the holding of Art Beijing 2006, we will turn Beijing into not only the artistic Beijing, but also the focus of the globe.