Chongqing — The "Silk Road Art Bridge" China-Russia Years of Education art exchange series opened Sept. 20 at Sichuan Fine Arts Institute’s Huxi Campus in Chongqing, bringing together artists, educators and cultural institutions from China and Russia through exhibitions, academic forums and art education activities.

The program is part of the China-Russia Years of Education, with 2026 marking the 30th anniversary of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination and the 25th anniversary of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation. China and Russia have designated 2026 and 2027 as the China-Russia Years of Education to further strengthen people-to-people ties and expand cooperation in education and related fields.

The initiative follows the 2024-2025 China-Russia Years of Culture, which brought cultural institutions from the two countries closer together. The Years of Education provide a new platform for universities, artists and cultural organizations to broaden exchanges and develop new areas of collaboration.

Opening ceremony of the "Silk Road Art Bridge" series of Chinese-Russian art exchange events, held as part of the China-Russia Years of Education in Chongqing, Sept. 20. (Photo/Organizer)

At the opening ceremony, Huang Maojun, vice mayor of the Chongqing Municipal People's Government, highlighted the city's longstanding educational and cultural links with Russia. Among the projects he cited was the Chongqing Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Music of Chongqing Normal University, jointly established with the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory. He also pointed to exchanges involving faculty and students, exhibitions, performances and academic activities.

Zhanna Alexeyeva, Russia's state secretary and deputy minister of culture, noted the stronger links established between cultural institutions during the 2024-2025 China-Russia Years of Culture. She said the “Silk Road Art Bridge” brings art and education together as the two countries enter the Years of Education.

Chinese and Russian representatives visit "Eternal Dialogue," a major retrospective exhibition of works by Zurab Tsereteli, Chongqing, Sept. 20. (Photo/Natalia Vakhrusheva)

Organized by Sichuan Fine Arts Institute and the Russian Academy of Arts, the "Silk Road Art Bridge" program will run from September 2026 through February 2027 in Chongqing and Moscow. It includes exhibitions, an international forum on art education, academic seminars, artist residency workshops, and public art education activities. 

Two exhibitions that opened Sept. 20 at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute Museum of Art mark the program’s first major public presentation in Chongqing and will remain on view through Nov. 10.

Paintings by Zurab Tsereteli at the major retrospective exhibition “Eternal Dialogue” at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Chongqing, Sept. 20. (Photo/Natalia Vakhrusheva)

"Eternal Dialogue: A Major Retrospective Exhibition of Zurab Tsereteli" presents the work of Russian artist Zurab Konstantinovich Tsereteli. Organizers described it as the largest solo retrospective of his work in Asia during his career.

"Art Bridge in Retrospect: China-Russia Modern and Contemporary Art Exhibition" features 154 works by leading Chinese and Russian artists, offering a view of the artistic connections and shared academic traditions that have developed between the two countries.

Jiao Xingtao, president of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute and director of the Sculpture Art Committee of the China Artists Association, said the two exhibitions represent a major recent undertaking in China-Russia artistic exchanges. He highlighted the breadth of Zurab Tsereteli’s artistic career and the distinctive character of his paintings, which combine elements of modernism with Russian artistic traditions.

Vasily Tsereteli, president of the Russian Academy of Arts and director of the Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MMOMA), emphasized the potential of closer artistic cooperation to deepen understanding between the two cultures. He said such collaboration can help create opportunities for the younger generation to develop creatively, produce works of lasting artistic and cultural value, and foster new talent.

The "Silk Road Art Bridge" series is supported by the China-Russia Center for Contemporary Art Creation and Communication, jointly established by Sichuan Fine Arts Institute and the Russian Academy of Arts. The center will serve as a platform for continued academic exchanges and opportunities for young artists from both countries.