SDG 17

Art Exhibition at UOB Shows Features of Chinese Nature and Culture

Prof. Hamzah: Our Cooperation with China is Broad and Ongoing and We’re Holding a Joint Conference in November

On Thursday, 26^th of September 2019, an exhibition was organized by the Confucius Institute for Chinese Language at the University of Bahrain (UOB), in which two Chinese artists exhibited paintings that show features of China’s nature and its beauty.

The exhibition, which portrayed birds and fish, was attended by Professor of Arts at Shanghai University, Dr. Khi Xi, and Associate Professor at the same University, Hu Xin Xin, and it attracted many university professors, students and those interested in the arts.

During the opening ceremony of the exhibition, the President of UOB, Prof. Riyad Yousif Hamzah, valued in his speech the great and continuous cooperation between UOB and the Chinese higher education institutions, saying: “Cultural and scientific cooperation with the Republic of China in general, and Shanghai University in particular, is multidisciplinary; as a forum on renewable energy for sustainable development shall be held on November 2019 at UOB, in which the researches of the University of Shanghai shall be presented with research from UOB in the same field.”

Also, the President of UOB praised the Chinese art throughout history, the interest of Chinese artists in portraying nature, and their high artistic abilities in their use of the color black only in its various shades.

He added, "The role of UOB comes through its cooperation with the Confucius Institute and the University of Shanghai," indicating that "This exhibition represents original art from major artists and professors in China."

The Confucius Institute, which was established about five years ago at UOB, will be celebrating the Confucius Day, which falls on the 23^rd of September by holding several events that will continue until the 29^th of this month.

For his part, the representative of the Chinese Embassy in Bahrain, Ling Xu Min, confirmed that the establishment of the Confucius Institute at UOB in 2014 contributed to enhancing cultural cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and China.

Furthermore, he stated that, "The institute’s courses, in which hundreds of students and employees have been involved, have contributed to enhancing the presence of the Chinese language and its culture among the people of Bahrain, as the language is a window to get acquainted with cultures and a way to achieve mutual benefit among civilizations." Also, he thanked UOB and its Administration for their continuous support for the activities of the Institute.

The paintings of the Chinese artists included many subjects, including: fish, deep sea, reptiles, turtles, crows, flocks of birds, and bushes. Also, conceptual artists participated in the artistic program, who are: Balqees Fakhro, Adnan Al-Ahmad, Mahdi Al-Jalawi, Ahmed Anan and Khalifa Showaiter.

Furthermore, Artist Dr. Khi Xi expressed his wishes that the exhibition would convey something from China’s arts and culture, while Artist Dr. Hu Xin expressed her pleasure in giving lectures on art, hoping that "the friendship between Bahrain and China will continue and grow, so that we continue to learn from each other in various fields, and especially in the sciences and culture of art. "

Also, the exhibition was attended by the Vice President for Academic and Postgraduate Programs, Prof. Waheeb Naser Al-Naser, and a number of Bahraini artists and those interested in conceptual art, in addition to university students.

The activities of the Chinese Art Fair are scheduled to continue until next Sunday, 29 September 2019, with several lectures, workshops and dialogue sessions.

It is worth noting that the Confucius Institute at UOB was established in April of 2014 and has been teaching the Chinese language since its inauguration through courses for university students and sessions for those wishing to study the language of delegated learners from the country’s ministries and institutions.