Grand Opening & Art Season Launch Ceremony of Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art

On August 29, the opening ceremony of the Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art (Suzhou MoCA) and the launch ceremony of its Art Season were held on the banks of Jinjihu Lake. Fan Bo, Secretary of the CPC Suzhou Municipal Committee; Wang Wei, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Suzhou Municipal Committee and Mayor of Suzhou; Fan Di’an, Chairman of the China Artists Association; Francisco Benitez, Consul General of Spain in Shanghai; and Hang Jian, Chairman of the China Folk Literature and Art Association, attended the ceremony.

The Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art, the largest art museum in Suzhou in terms of scale, will officially open to the public on August 30. With a global vision, professional management and high-quality programs, the museum aims to build itself into a contemporary art center with global influence. Under the theme “Suzhou, the Beautiful MoCAment”, the inaugural Art Season will feature four major exhibitions, including “Picasso and the World of His Influence” and “Gèn: A Journey Through Art’s Transcendence” presenting audiences with a rich and diverse artistic experience.

Prior to the opening ceremony, Fan Bo and Wang Wei met with Fan Di’an and his delegation. Fan Bo noted that Suzhou is studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Culture and the guiding principles of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speeches and instructions on Jiangsu Province and Suzhou. The city is making solid progress in implementing the “811 Plan” for building a strong cultural city, strengthening the preservation and inheritance of its historical and cultural heritage, advancing research and practice in the field of the humanities and economy, continuing to stimulate cultural and tourism consumption, and further promoting the “Jiangnan Culture” brand. Suzhou is committed to exploring a new path that integrates tradition and modernity and promotes the mutual enrichment of culture and economic development, Fan Bo noted. He expressed the hope that the China Artists Association would continue to care about and support the development of Suzhou’s cultural undertakings, work with Suzhou to tell the stories of Jiangnan culture, promote urban development through art, and better meet the people’s aspirations for a better life.

Fan Di’an extended congratulations on the opening of the Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art on behalf of the China Artists Association. He noted that ancient charm and modern vitality coexist and complement each other in Suzhou, creating a distinctive “double-sided embroidery” that brings together traditional culture and modern civilization.

Fan Di’an expressed the hope that Suzhou would thoroughly implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important reply to veteran experts and artists of the National Art Museum of China, and take the opening of the Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art as an opportunity to bring art into the city, into people’s daily lives and into their hearts. This, he noted, would contribute to the high-quality development of Chinese art in the new era. The China Artists Association will leverage its strengths to deepen exchanges and cooperation with Suzhou, and support the city in enhancing its urban aesthetics and building itself into a culturally strong city, Fan Di’an noted.

Addressing the launch ceremony, Wang Wei expressed the hope that the Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art would uphold high standards in its positioning and maintain high-quality operations, striving to build itself into a premier venue showcasing outstanding works of art from around the world and an open platform for exchanges and dialogue among civilizations. He expressed the expectation that guests from home and abroad would, as always, continue to care about and support Suzhou’s cultural development, work together to preserve and carry forward the cultural heritage of Jiangnan, and enable it to shine with renewed vitality in the new era.

Shi Feng, Deputy Director of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism; Suzhou municipal leaders Jin Jie and Shen Mi; and representatives from the art communities at home and abroad also attended the event.