On September 21, 2024, the enchanting waters of Qiandao Lake in Zhejiang Province, China, shimmered with a new kind of brilliance as it hosted the grand opening of the second Illuminate the World: Qiandao Lake International Biennale of Light Art and the inaugural Qiandao Lake Tunnel Art Museum. This captivating event, co-hosted by the China Academy of Art (CAA) and Qiandao Lake in Chun’an County, celebrates the second edition of China’s pioneering aquatic biennial, which utilizes light as its primary artistic medium.
The exhibition’s theme, “How Is Light?” delves into the ever-evolving role of light, exploring its transformative influence through technological advancements, its foundations in civilization, and the boundless possibilities for future innovation. The artwork featured in the exhibition beautifully highlights the intersection of technology, interaction, and ecosystems, inviting visitors to reimagine the nature of light in both its familiar and unexplored forms.
This year’s biennale, a testament to innovative cultural events, included a rigorous selection process that combined open submissions and special invitations. Over 200 entries from eight countries were submitted, with the final artworks curated by a distinguished panel of experts. These meticulously chosen works are now on display on Yueguang Island at Qiandao Lake in two distinct phases, alongside remarkable pieces from the inaugural biennale.
Beyond enriching Qiandao Lake’s burgeoning artistic ecosystem, the exhibition aims to bolster the region’s economy by promoting art and cultural tourism. Notably, this year’s biennale has attracted cross-disciplinary creators, including the iconic rock musician Cui Jian, who brings a fresh perspective and experimental flair to the event. With its unique focus on the art of light, public art installations, and aquatic settings, this event exemplifies a forward-thinking approach to cultural tourism.
On the same day, the Qiandao Lake Tunnel Art Museum made its grand debut, marking the arrival of China’s first tunnel-based art gallery. This remarkable museum comprises nearly 100 tunnels, with Qiandao Lake Tunnel Art Museum NO. 001, located in Xialanwu Tunnel, spanning over 209 meters. Designed by CAA’s School of Painting, this open, “unwalled art museum” aims to seamlessly merge contemporary spatial aesthetics with international art. Serving as both a tourist attraction and a vibrant public art space, the museum offers locals and visitors an immersive cultural experience, encompassing jogging trails and interactive exhibitions.
The museum’s inaugural exhibition, themed “Echo,” delves into the interconnectedness of Qiandao Lake’s breathtaking natural beauty, rich cultural heritage, and ecological significance. The artwork thoughtfully mirrors the lake’s past and present, symbolizing a harmonious dialogue between humanity and nature. The unique tunnel setting amplifies the experience, with its curvature enhancing the resonance of voices and the continuity of echoes through time. Visitors are invited to feel as though they are standing at the very heart of Qiandao Lake, immersed in the vibrant pulse of its artistic legacy.
Qiandao Lake has emerged as a focal point for China’s burgeoning cultural tourism sector, and CAA plays a pivotal role in fostering China’s contemporary art scene. Their ongoing collaboration has successfully blended social aesthetic education with public spaces and nature, creating a distinctive identity for Qiandao Lake that embraces local features and Chinese cultural values. The biennial plays a key role in promoting tourism to the region, with its focus on sustainable, ecological development through art.
The second biennale pushes beyond traditional concepts of light, such as natural and artificial light, to explore modern interpretations, including digital light. The exhibition sheds light on the technical foundations and evolving forms of light, examining its profound impact on everyday life, technology, and industry. From the Fourier transform to digital design, from LED screens to image processing, light has a profound influence on how we engage with visual culture.
On the scientific front, the study of light has evolved significantly over time. While British physicist James Clerk Maxwell discovered that electromagnetic radiation forms a continuous spectrum, Albert Einstein’s early 20th-century theories proposed that light could behave like particles, a concept later confirmed through experiments by Arthur H. Compton. These groundbreaking discoveries laid the groundwork for understanding how light possesses both wave-like and particle-like properties.
From a cultural perspective, light has long been intertwined with the development of civilization. Plato’s allegory of the cave reflects the philosophical significance of light in ancient Greece, while in ancient China, light played a crucial role in the creation of cosmological theories, such as those outlined in the Book of Documents. The theme “How Is Light?” encourages artists to expand their understanding of light beyond current boundaries, sparking new ideas in technology, interaction, and ecosystems.
At the Echo exhibition, the tunnel setting beautifully enhances the concept of spatial echoes, with its curvature amplifying the sense of enclosure while symbolizing the continuity of history, memory, and nature. Visitors standing inside the tunnel are enveloped by the sounds and images that represent the pulse of Qiandao Lake, creating an immersive dialogue between the natural world and artistic expression.
The China Academy of Art’s School of Sculpture and Public Art continues to spearhead various festivals and exhibitions. Notable events include the Wuzhen Theatre Festival: Public Space Art Exhibition Project, the Aranya Theater Festival: Migratory Birds 300, CAA Armory•Wuzhen, the Hangzhou Triennial of Fiber Art, and the Frontier Fiber Art Exhibition. Each event forms part of an expansive network dedicated to artistic research, creation, and innovation.
