On the afternoon of November 8, 2024, the Jiangxi Provincial Art Museum along the Ganjiang River witnessed a grand opening of the "Symbiosis – China-Germany Contemporary Art Exhibition". Sponsored by the Jiangxi Provincial Art Museum and the Bonn Museum of Contemporary Art (Germany), co-organized by the CAFA Art Museum and the Academy of Fine Arts of Jiangxi Normal University, and strongly supported by the China-Germany Friendship Association, this key project funded by the Jiangxi Cultural and Art Foundation took "cultural mutual learning and artistic symbiosis" as its core, bringing a cross-continental cultural feast to Nanchang in early winter.

The opening ceremony gathered over 200 Chinese and foreign guests, including Shi Mingde, former Chinese Ambassador to Germany and President of the China-Germany Friendship Association, Chen Xiaoping, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the Jiangxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Lü Pinchang, Deputy Secretary and Vice President (acting as President) of Jingdezhen Ceramic University and Chairman of Jiangxi Artists Association, and Pang Maokun, Vice Chairman of the China Artists Association. More than 20 German artists who traveled thousands of miles, domestic art professionals, university representatives and media personnel attended the event. Before the opening, Mei Yi, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Jiangxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, met with the participating guests and noted that Jiangxi's profound cultural heritage – featuring red culture, ecological culture and ancient culture – has become fertile ground for international artistic exchanges. This exhibition is a crucial practice for Jiangxi to upgrade the international standard of art exhibitions and build a first-class art venue in China.

Hailed as a "panoramic dialogue" between Chinese and German contemporary art, the exhibition showcases nearly 100 works by 18 Chinese and 35 German artists, covering diverse forms such as oil painting, sculpture, printmaking, ink wash, photography, installation art and mixed media. Blending realistic delicacy with abstract conceptual expression, it creates an artistic ecology where tradition meets modernity and Eastern aesthetics collide with Western styles. Notably, the artistic exchange between China and Germany dates back to the early 20th century's New Woodcut Movement, when German Expressionism profoundly influenced young Chinese artists. Today, this exhibition stands as a new milestone in bilateral artistic mutual learning, breaking geographical and cultural barriers through artistic language.

Ren Rong, a German-Chinese artist, curator of the exhibition and founder of the Bonn Museum of Contemporary Art, has been dedicated to China-Germany cultural exchanges for decades. He emphasized that "symbiosis" is not only the exhibition theme but also the essence of artistic communication. Jiangxi, known as a "land of literary integrity", provides an ideal context for cross-cultural dialogue with its profound humanistic heritage. Occupying Halls 1, 2 and 4 of the museum, the exhibition features scientific route design and lighting layout, enabling visitors to feel the spiritual resonance between Chinese and German art as they wander through the space. Many young visitors have flocked to take photos, turning art appreciation into a vivid carrier of cultural communication. Chinese artist Fu Zhongwang commented that the exhibition has built an important bridge for in-depth exchanges between artists from both countries: "There are wonderful collisions of cultural differences, and more importantly, a shared pursuit of beauty in the works."

The exhibition is open to the public free of charge (closed on Mondays) until January 5, 2025. Visitors are required to make reservations in advance through the official WeChat public account of the Jiangxi Provincial Art Museum. This cross-border art feast not only allows Nanchang citizens to appreciate international contemporary art without traveling abroad but also deepens China-Germany people-to-people friendship through art, injecting warm cultural vitality into the building of a community with a shared future for mankind in the global context. As a guest at the opening ceremony put it, "The beauty of a harmonious soup lies in blending different ingredients." The symbiosis of Chinese and German art is a vivid portrayal of the harmonious development of different civilizations.