On August 8, 2024, the China Academy of Art (CAA) and the Venice Biennale held an online signing ceremony for a cooperation agreement from 2024 to 2027. The agreement was signed by Gao Shiming, President of the CAA, and Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, President of the Venice Biennale.

Founded in 1895, the Venice Biennale is one of the world’s most prestigious cultural events, encompassing a wide array of fields such as art, architecture, cinema, dance, music, and theater. It regularly organizes exhibitions and festivals while conducting extensive research. The Venice Biennale is dedicated to exploring and promoting the latest trends in contemporary art, driving innovation and development in the arts. It offers a platform for young artists to showcase their talents and hone their skills, while also focusing on the inheritance and preservation of historical culture. As such, it stands as a vital platform for global art exchanges and collaboration.

Established in 1928, the CAA is China's oldest, most comprehensive, and largest national institution of higher education in the fine arts. It is considered the cradle of disciplines such as fine arts, design, art theory, and postgraduate education in these fields within China. It boasts a rich reserve of professional talents and a robust pool of expert think tanks. Positioned on the frontline of the art world, the CAA embraces the mission of fully reviving Chinese art as its historical responsibility. It aims to build a world-class Eastern art system and develop a new model of humanistic education by promoting artistic innovation and nurturing social aesthetics.

Gao Shiming mentioned that both China and Italy are ancient civilizations with a long history. The two nations share a common understanding: the history of a civilization did not perish with the past; instead, its vitality remains potent in the present, contributing to contemporary society. Both China and Italy, with the memories and potential carried on its history, reference one another, learn from each other, and unfold in its unique context. Our shared goal is to enable contemporary art to "Draw from the Sources · Venture with the Greats" within the broader perspective of human civilizations. For over a century, the Venice Biennale has been the premier platform for international art exhibitions and exchanges, a strong impetus driving the development of art history, and the most sensitive barometer of the global art community. However, it is also a site fraught with challenges. Twenty years ago, the Italian philosopher Antonio Negri remarked that "we are in the midst of a profound crisis where artistic production is simply spinning in a void." Now twenty-some years have passed. This profound crisis mentioned by Negri remains unresolved, a challenge that faces both the CAA and the Venice Biennale. It is not merely an artistic issue but a reflection of "the human conditions" in our time. For instance, the rapid iteration of AI technology is altering human self-perception, digital virtual technology is causing a disconnection between body and mind, and the rise of network media has ushered us into a "post-truth society," which also led to the existence of a "post-consensus society." Globally, we seem to be losing the foundation and vision for cultural sharing, and the current state of division, contradiction, and tension has led to the self-alienation of art—art has become disoriented, juggling between aesthetics, ethics, and politics.

Founded nearly a century ago, the CAA has nurtured countless great artists and distinguished scholars. As an ardent upholder of self-reflection, openness of mind, creative spirit, and a vision for civilizations, it has continually explored the crises of humanity and art. Today, the CAA has developed into one of the largest and most comprehensive art universities globally, fully capable of engaging in high-quality collaboration with the Venice Biennale and the Venice International Film Festival across various fields such as visual arts, architecture, cinema, and design. The mission of art is "to discover the world and humanity," while education shoulders the responsibility of "preserving and developing humanity." Art is a great force for unity, progress, and creativity in human society. In the future, the two sides will unite the artistic and cultural forces in China and Asia to deepen cooperation with the Venice Biennale, expanding the space for cultural exchanges between China and Italy and unleashing a richer spectrum of 21st-century art.

According to Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, both Italy and China have glorious histories and share numerous commonalities in the field of philosophy. Through collaboration, the diverse thoughts and concepts of both nations can engage in meaningful dialogue, which is bound to present more opportunities for cooperation and extend the long-standing friendship between the two countries into the contemporary cultural landscape. Furthermore, both sides bear a more profound responsibility: to foster the exchanges and interaction of contemporary art and diverse cultural ideas, thereby injecting new vitality and brilliance into the present era. Contemporary Chinese art stands out on the global stage, and this collaboration aims to establish a platform to showcase the new dimensions of contemporary Chinese art, demonstrating its diversity and uniqueness to the world. Marco Polo, who already appeared in the history of Sino-Italian exchanges 700 years ago, symbolizes the longstanding tradition of friendly relation between the two nations. By drawing on this tradition, the collaboration between China and Italy will reach deeper integration and endow cultural exchanges with even greater significance.

The Winged Lion of St. Mark is an iconic symbol of Venice, its soaring stance representing "sky" and "wind"—two concepts that are of great significance in Confucian philosophy. Therefore, the partnership between the CAA and the Venice Biennale is highly momentous. It not only blends Chinese philosophical wisdom with the artistic vision of the Venice Biennale but also offers a unique perspective on the multifaceted nature of contemporary art. This collaboration achieves an exchange and fusion of Eastern and Western cultures, triggering profound reflections on the development of contemporary art.

Also present at the signing ceremony were Yu Xuhong, Member of the Committee of Academy Affairs of the CAA, Director of the Publicity Office of the CAA CPC Committee, and Curator of the CAA Art Museum; Francesco D'Arelli, Director of the Cultural Section at the Consulate General of Italy in Shanghai; Andrea Del Mercato, Director General of the Venice Biennale; Debora Rossi, Deputy and Responsible for the Contemporary Art Historical Archives (ASAC) of the Venice Biennale; Cristiana Costanzo, Head of the Venice Biennale Press Office; Mariagrazia Pontorno, Assistant to the President of the Venice Biennale; Liu Tian, Deputy Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art and Social Thought (ICAST) at the CAA, as well as the persons in charge of other functional departments. The ceremony was hosted by Francesco D'Arelli, Director of the Cultural Section at the Consulate General of Italy in Shanghai. Recently, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the comprehensive strategic partnership between Italy and China, the two sides jointly issued the Action Plan on Strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2024-2027), which underscores the importance of enhancing cooperation of cultural institutions to promote mutual understanding between civilizations and advance contemporary creative collaboration. The signing of this agreement is a proactive response by the CAA and the Venice Biennale to the key principles of the Action Plan and represents a concrete step taken to deepen cultural exchanges between the two nations.

In the future, both sides will adhere to the principles of mutual learning between civilizations, artistic integration, and creative symbiosis as they deepen cooperation, showcasing the unique charm and shared values of Eastern and Western arts, and jointly explore new frontiers of contemporary artistic creation.