China and Indonesia celebrate ties with art exhibition

A painting by Chinese artist Lin Xiaochu is on display. [Photo by He Keyao/chinadaily.com.cn]

A joint exhibition of contemporary paintings by artists from China and Indonesia made a splash at China's Central Academy of Fine Art Museum in Beijing, to mark the 65th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the countries.

Themed "Gorgeous Chapter", the exhibition showcases more than 50 pieces from 37 artists, making an interesting contrast and bringing out the best of each other's unique styles.

"Indonesia's fine art has its own distinctive characteristic," said Fan Di'an, head/president of the Central Academy of Fine Art. "On the one hand it is influenced by Chinese traditional art, such as ink-and-wash paintings; on the other it is very internationalized and dynamic, due to its multi-ethnicity construction".

Apart from traditional themes, such as landscapes or figures, the paintings explore and discuss a wide variety of issues, such as problematic urbanization, the relationship between people and society, death and tradition, life and religion.