Chinese artists blend innovation with tradition at Frieze Art Fair

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Chinese artists shone at this year's London Frieze Art Fair, which featured more than 160 galleries and exciting names from around the globe.

Nearly 30 contemporary works by artists from China's Central Academy of Fine Arts were on display at the prestigious fair in London.

The exhibition was held under the theme of "Tradition is an invention," a fitting coincidence as the Chinese institution marks its centenary this year.

A visitor attends the annual Frieze London art fair in London, on October 7, 2018. /VCG Photo

The artworks included oil paintings, print paintings, sculptures, ink paintings, art installations, and virtual reality arts. They reflected the efforts of Chinese artists to innovate while staying true to artistic traditions.

"We must answer the question of how today's artists of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) understand tradition. We have very profound traditions on the one hand and a very open understanding of traditions on the other hand," said exhibition planner Qiu Zhijie.

"All the artists are inventing their own traditions, and our new traditions are made up of very diverse and rich understandings," Qiu added.

The outstanding performances of Chinese artists have led to international cooperation with other art institutions. Among them is the Prince's Foundation School of Traditional Arts in London, which is dedicated to preserving global traditional arts.

"We greatly appreciate the opportunity of working in China. We not only work there, but we bring a lot of the experience and knowledge of China back to our courses here in London," said Dr. Khaled Azzam, director of Prince's Foundation School of Traditional Arts in London.

"China has a civilization that is one of the amazing civilizations in the world and the world can listen and learn about it from the Chinese. I think it's an opportunity of building a bridge, and a bridge works both ways. You know, things can come and go, and that's the beauty of this cooperation," Azzam indicated.

The 2018 Frieze London was held over the course of four days and closed on Sunday.

(Top Image: A piece of artwork from Chinese artists in 2018 Frieze London. /CGTN Photo)