Kunming welcomes back French artist

Viallat's solo show at the Contemporary Gallery Kunming displays more than 80 pieces of the famed French artist's works spanning 40 years of his career. It's one of the key cultural activities of the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Compared with Beijing and Shanghai, Kunming in Yunnan is a city distant from China's thriving contemporary art scene. Viallat's show in 1999 in Kunming made an impact on China's art circle and attracted many curious artists and art lovers.

An established abstract artist in France, Viallat spearheaded an avant-garde art movement called Supports/Surfaces in France in the 1960s. It features painting on fabrics used in daily life without a frame, such as sun umbrellas, clothes and quilts. His works are often installed in public spaces like squares, beaches, riverbeds, forests and meadows.

"At that time, we knew nothing about Viallat's art and his works seemed very different from traditional paintings on canvas. It was the first time for us to see contemporary art works created by a Western artist," recalls Nie.

Cheng Xindong, a gallerist and a curator, who brought Viallat to Kunming in 1999, says that Chinese artists were eager to learn about Western art. He expected the show he curated to offer an opportunity to artists from China to communicate with Viallat.

The artist visited China three times in 1999. In addition to Kunming, he traveled to Chengdu in Sichuan province and Shenyang in Liaoning province as his show toured these cities.