北京民生现代美术馆公布2015年开馆展“民间的力量”公开征集作品

From Randian

by Gu Ling Translated by: Fei Wu （中文往下）

Ever since plans were afoot for the recently opened Minsheng Art Museum in Shanghai, rumors have been flying about plans to open another Minsheng Art Museum in Beijing. On October 10, 2014, “The Civil Power”—an open call for art —was officially launched by China Minsheng Bank and Beijing Minsheng Art Museum at Beijing’s 798 Art Zone. This is the first call for art work related to “civil power” that will be open to the entire nation. A press conference held around the same time also announced the official opening of Beijing Minsheng Art Museum in March 2015.

The museum director Zhou Xujun commented, “Beijing Minsheng Art Museum has been funded entirely by China Minsheng Bank. The museum’s total area covers 35,000 square meters. Over 200 million RMB has been invested in this museum, which will be the largest and most aesthetically modern private art museum in China….We will continue to explore avenues of sustainable and profitable operation, while establishing the way we run the business of this organization. We would like to become more self-reliant, while enhancing the museum’s ability to develop sustainably, so that we are more able to drive the development of art towards serving the public.”

Dr. Ai Min, Vice Chairman of the Social Responsibility Management Committee of China Minsheng Banking Corporation, and Executive Director of Beijing Minsheng Art Museum said during his speech at the launch ceremony: “Minsheng Art Museum is a platform, a positive force driving art in China towards innovative development that enables civic contribution to the nation’s cultural strategy.” Guo Xiaoyan, Deputy Director of Beijing Minsheng Art Museum commented, “There is no barrier to entry to ‘The Civil Power’; there are no limitations because it was designed as an open exhibition. Also, the public will be deciding which pieces are awarded prizes. We’ve also invited some of the most representative contemporary artists to show some of their pieces; we hope to present some outstanding works with civil origins, works that are relevant to people’s lives.”

The word, “civil” is familiar to many, but what group of people does this term indicate? Are artists included among them? In what ways do the organizers hope the entries received will differ from so-called professional art? “The Civil Power” will be composed of three different units: the first unit will feature works by invited artists; the second unit will be made up of literature and documents, while the third unit will be comprised of works entered into the museum’s competition during its open call for entries. Entries into the competition will be judged by a committee of renowned authorities in art, including artists, academic, and critics, as well as the general public. Standards for judging will be based on “contemporaneity”, “humanism”, “conceptuality”, and “creativity”. Entries are being accepted in the three major categories of paintings, video, and “integrated”. The selection process will include the primaries, semifinals, and finals. The Grand Jury Prize will be an 180,000 RMB award, followed by three Gold Medal Prizes at 50,000 RMB each, three Silver Medal Prizes at 10,000 RMB each, and three Bronze Medal Prizes at 5,000 RMB each. An online voting platform open to the public will also be set up simultaneously, so audiences can vote for their favorite pieces. The judging committee will award substantial prizes to winning artists; pieces selected into the primaries will be exhibited at “The Civil Power” exhibition, while entries by winners of the Grand Jury Prize and Gold Medal Prizes will enter the Minsheng Museum (MSMS) collection.

A series of academic forums and public events will also be held concurrent with “The Civil Power”. For example, “The Human Idea Forum—A Report on Ideological Movements in Asia” invites world-renowned scholars to discuss civic thought in Asia. Six lectures and talks will revolve around the ways in which the real concerns of civil society and human sentiment can inspire a more personal interpretation of history while stimulating creative forces within society.

“The Civil Power” open call for art: October 10, 2014 – January 10, 2015.

For more information, visit: http://www.minshengartcompetition.cn

自2010年民生现代美术馆上海馆开馆以来，北京民生现代美术馆的开馆消息几度沉浮。2014年10月10日，在北京798艺术区，由中国民生银行及北京民生现代美术馆发起和举办的“民间的力量”艺术展览作品征集活动正式启动，首次面向全国公开征集记录和书写民间力量的艺术作品。

同期举办的发布会公布了北京民生现代美术馆将于2015年3月开馆的消息，馆长周旭君介绍道：“北京民生现代美术馆由中国民生银行全资捐赠建设，总建筑面积35000m2，投资2亿多元，建成后将是我国规模最大、最具现代建筑艺术美学的民营美术馆。…我们还将在美术馆的可持续运作、赢利模式构建和商业体系建立等方面探索道路，以提升自我造血功能，提高美术馆的可持续发展能力，更好地推动艺术发展服务社会公众。”

中国民生银行社会责任管理委员会副主席、北京民生现代美术馆理事长艾民在启动仪式的讲话中提到：“我们将以民生美术馆为行动平台，积极推动中国艺术的创新发展，实现民间力量在国家文化战略中的时代贡献。”北京民生现代美术馆副馆长郭晓彦表示：“‘民间的力量’展不设门槛，不设限制，开放办展，我们将作品的评奖工作也交给社会公众。我们还邀请当代艺术界最具代表性的艺术家参展，希望向广大观众呈现源自民间、牵系民生的优秀作品。”

“民间”一词我们并不陌生，然而，民间所指向的究竟是怎样的一个人群？艺术家是否包含在内？主办方又期待收到怎样的与如今所谓专业艺术生产不同的创作？“民间的力量”展由特邀单元、文献单元、作品征集竞赛单元三部分构成。参展作品的评奖工作将分别由全国知名和权威的艺术家、学者和批评家组成的评审委员会和广大社会公众进行。专业评审委员会将以“当代性”、“人文性”、“观念性”和“创造性”为标准，通过绘画、影像及综合类三个部分的作品分类设置，经由初选、复选和选定环节，评出一名评委会大奖授18万元人民币奖金、三名金奖分别授5万人民币奖金、三名银奖分别授1万人民币奖金和三名铜奖分别授5千人民币奖金。同时还设置了公众网络投票环节，相应发布最受公众喜爱作品排行榜。组委会将给予获奖艺术家物质奖励，初评获奖作品将入选“民间的力量”展，而获得评委会大奖及各单项金奖的作品将被民生艺术机构（MSMS）收藏。

“民间的力量”展期内还将组织一系列相关学术论坛和公共活动，如“人间思想论坛-亚洲思想运动报告”，邀请全球知名学者梳理亚洲范围内的民间思想脉络，通过六场专题演讲和学者对谈讨论如何以民间社会的现实关怀和人间情味，去激发出更切身的历史解释力、更开放的社会创造力。

“民间的力量”展作品征集时间自2014年10月10日起至2015年1月10日止。详情可访问官网：www.minshengartcompetition.cn。