The Harbin Top Modern Art Exhibition opened on Jan 8 at Yihuajia Culture and Commerce Square, Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province. From Jan 8 to 20, citizens and visitors will be able to view and appreciate works by nearly 60 artists at the exhibition free of charge. The exhibition is organized by the Harbin municipal publicity department.

"All the works displayed have profound cultural connotations. The artists put their feelings into the work and hope to arouse sympathy among the public," Yang Wei, Han Zhanlu and Zhang Miquan,  the main organizers of the committee, said.

Harbin is a city that integrates foreign influences and Chinese traditional culture. For years, Harbin has been attempting to display its unique culture and extend its cultural influence.

The Harbin Top Modern Art Exhibition can educate the general public about modern art and promote art appreciation abilities.

Part of the annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, the exhibition invited more than 50 top artists to Harbin with their work, greatly extending Harbin’s cultural influence and satisfying the public’s demand for cultural products.

To nurture a city with art

A symposium of modern art was also held on Jan 8. The top artists shared their views on mass consumption of culture and cultural projects. 

There has been increased demand in areas of art appreciation and art investment. The exhibition follows this trend. The city of Harbin and its citizens will benefit greatly by getting closer to high-level modern art, scholars say.

"For years, we have been wondering how to integrate art with daily life. I think it is meaningless for one to spend several millions on an art work, and then lock it in the safe. Art work should be appreciated by more people. The exhibition is such a platform, where the general public can appreciate work and share their views. There should be more platforms like this in the future," an organizer of the symposium said.