Heated discussions of the metaverse and related technologies are erupting in many communities, including the world of art where new technology has already been integrated into the work of artists and curators. To address this trend, the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing in April launched a virtual competition for young curators. With aims to inspire future curators to embrace technology for building links between art and the digital world so as to provide better experiences for aesthetic education, participants were encouraged to submit curatorial ideas in virtual scenarios of exhibitions and public programs.  Winners have recently been announced, chosen from over 1,100 competitors who submitted more than 600 plans to an online platform especially designed for the event, and all the works were accessible to the public for voting.

This is a perspective-based, but not visually terminated installation art piece. Artist Xu Bing, with his works of great profundity and depth in the international art scene, has always pushed the boundaries of the very definition of art. On August 12th, he presents to the audience at MAP yet another brand-new, visually striking, and profoundly conceptual body of work. As the viewers enter the exhibition hall, they are immediately greeted with a giant “textual vortex” comprised of Square Word Calligraphy. According to the artist’s conception, the flat texts are stretched and pulled from the third and fourth floors of the museum, dipping all the way to the base level, visually penetrating through the giant mirror surface on the base level where the texts conjoin. The artistic language of the work organically embraces and engulfs the vertical open space unique to the museum, making the latter its own.

The 14th Dakar Biennale was unveiled in Dakar, Senegal on May 19th. China was invited to hold a special show at the exhibition as the guest of honor. Xiao Han, Chinese ambassador to Senegal and Macky Sall, Senegal president addressed the opening ceremony. Xiao said this is the first time China, a non-African country, joined the Dakar Biennale as the guest of honor since the event launched 30 years ago. The show will further enhance the cultural exchange between China and African countries. Sall praised the cooperation between the two nations and expressed thankfulness to China for active engagement. As a country with thousands of years of great civilization, Chinese people have created countless exquisite art pieces and will provide inspirations to the artists in Senegal. Yue Jieqiong, curator of China's guest of honor exhibition, said that with the concept of "transition and active energy", the China Pavilion selected 24 works of 12 Chinese artists, including paintings, sculptures, installations, images and other art categories, aiming to present the exploration of Chinese contemporary art ecology in a global and local context.

The relationship between an art biennale and its host city is something that art scholars and critics have long hoped to figure out so as to better explore more possibilities for further development. To this end, the ongoing Chengdu Biennale, one of the largest art events hosted in Southwest China in 2021, is hosting the symposium Innovations: Art of The City.