On July 11, 2020, "Gesture and Thought: Porcelains and Paintings by Bai Ming" (Le geste et la pensée: Porcelaines et peintures de Bai Ming) was opened at the Museum of Asian Arts of Nice, France. This exhibition curated by Adrien Bossard, Curator of the Museum of Asian Arts of Nice, France, will last till September 27. Over the last decade, Prof. Bai Ming of the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University has held personal exhibitions at important museums of many countries such as France, Belgium and Italy. 

"Gesture and Thought: Porcelains and Paintings by Bai Ming" was originally scheduled to open on April 11, 2020 and last till August 10. Due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, France has canceled many exhibitions and cultural activities, including the annual Cannes International Film Festival. To ensure the opening of Prof. Bai Ming's personal exhibition, the Museum of Asian Arts of Nice, France and Département des Alpes-Maritimes have exerted many efforts to make it possible for Bai Ming's porcelains and paintings to be seen in Nice, Cote D'Azur of France from today on. 

The building of the Museum of Asian Arts was designed by Kenzō Tange (1913-2005), a renowned Japanese architect, who was the first winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize in Japan and had designed several landmark buildings in Japan and Singapore. Kenzō Tange has designed the museum as a white water lily standing out from a lake. The exhibition hall resembles the pistil of the lily, while the four side halls are like the lily petals, respectively being the Chinese Hall, the Indian Hall, the Japanese Hall and the East Asian Hall. Over 20-plus years, the Museum of Asian Arts has been holding high-end artistic exhibitions. 

For the exhibition "Gesture and Thought: Porcelains and Paintings by Bai Ming", the museum displays the works of a contemporary artist in the Chinese Hall, the Indian Hall, the Japanese Hall, the East Asian Hall, and the thematic exhibition round hall for the first time, presented to the public together with the Asian treasures from the past collected by the museum. This is a supreme honor to the artist's works. The museum will also publish an album for the exhibition to include Prof. Bai Ming's painting and porcelain works into the research context of contemporary Asian art history. 

Given the pandemic, no opening ceremony has been held for this exhibition, and a plan of limited visitors has been adopted. However, the museum still plans to offer an academic guide to the audience once every ten days to systematically introduce the creative journey of Prof. Bai Ming of the of the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University and the academic value of his artistic works.   

During this special period, "Gesture and Thought: Porcelains and Paintings by Bai Ming" brings the audience a vigorous, solemn and quiet power. Charles Ange Ginésy, President of the Département des Alpes-Maritimes has specially written a preface for this exhibition: 

Alpes-Maritimes is a region full of cultural and historical aura. Today, this region has more comprehensively merged into the currents of development in the 21st century. From porcelains of Vallauris to the home of artificial intelligence, the past traditions and future development projects have been integrated. The local government aims to create connections, find a balance between customs and innovation, respect past achievements and foster future developments. I've found such connections in Bai Ming's artistic works, which stand out as travelling between the past and the present, while being rooted in the contemporary world. His works witness his profound reflections on materials and human nature, which are both personal and universal. Over the past three decades, the artist has been questing in the fields of porcelains and paintings, creating simple, exquisite works with rich meanings. 

In 2020, the organizational work for Bai Ming's personal exhibition "Gesture and Though" has been affected, posing a tremendous challenge to the museum and Bai Ming's team. I would hereby extend my sincerest gratitude to all the participants in this project. The Museum of Asian Arts is a bridge connecting Asia and the West, while this project contributes another brick to this bridge. 

Over the past 22 years, the Museum of Asian Arts has been presenting colorful and vibrant Asian civilizations to the public. Today, at this challenging moment, the museum, more than any other time, reminds us of the importance of cultural openness. Let's connect with each other, and culture is a precious tie connecting mankind. 

Adrien Bossard, Curator of the Museum of Asian Arts, as curator of this exhibition, has devoted great efforts to its design. All the exhibits in the exhibition halls, from form to material, have been carefully planned according to the thoughts of the curator. Adrien Bossard has concluded: this is an open and integrative exhibition in the real sense, as we have opened all the spaces and passages between the two floors of the museum to integrate the contemporary world with the past, an idea not only corresponding to the architecture and collections of the museum but also echoing Asian arts and cultures, and more importantly agreeing with the theme of the exhibition and the spirit of the artist.

Source: Prof. Bai Ming of the Department of Ceramic Design

Photographer: Di Bo

Editor: Zhao Ruohan