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On June 10, the "Art Illuminates Cities — International Public Art Exchange Forum" was held at the headquarters of Yifeng Sculpture in Ningbo. The event gathered representatives from cultural and artistic circles, urban construction sectors and academic communities of China and the United Kingdom to jointly discuss cultural expression forms unique to port cities.
“I do not merely focus on landmark buildings. I prefer to learn about how local residents live and their daily commutes,” shared Nick Hornby, contemporary British sculptor, Vice President and Fellow of the Royal Society of Sculptors, as he talked about his approach to observing a city. “I do not only gaze up at skyscrapers; instead, I pay closer attention to the ordinary scenes on street corners and alleyways.”
Nick, der 2024 den PSSA Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Sculpture erhielt, wurde während des Forums zum Chief International Art Consultant von Yifeng Sculpture ernannt. Die beiden Parteien werden in Zukunft mehrere gemeinsame Initiativen starten, darunter Künstlerresidenzprogramme, thematische öffentliche Kunstausstellungen und integrierte Masterplanung für städtische Skulpturen, um die Aufwertung der öffentlichen Kunst in Ningbo voranzutreiben.
During the forum, Nick put forward his core creative viewpoint: public art is not an object merely "placed" into a city, but an expressive form that "grows" out of the city’s daily life.
“Delicate and vivid perceptions of everyday life are the source of all artistic creation, and the everyday scenes of Ningbo have provided me with a starting point for my creations.” Nick’s creative philosophy resonates deeply with Ningbo’s gentle, inclusive urban temperament.
He singled out the Tianyi Pavilion as a key source of inspiration: “I discovered numerous distinctive cultural symbols there, including stone carvings and other traditional Chinese cultural elements that have sparked my creative ideas.”
Ningbo wurde auf seinem Hafen gegründet und lebt vom Seehandel, wobei Offenheit und Integration tief in seine urbane Identität verankert sind.
Nick emphasized in his speech that public art must respond to authentic life scenarios rather than serving as superficial symbolic decorations. “I hope to have more opportunities to truly immerse myself in Ningbo’s daily life, to live as one of its citizens, engage in dialogue with the city, and perceive its unique spirit.”
Public art serves as a tangible manifestation of a city’s soft power, as well as a poetic language linking Ningbo to the rest of the world. At the forum, Assadour Markarov, Professor at the China Academy of Art, shared his insights: cross-cultural artistic creation requires in-depth immersion in local life, rather than the superficial transplantation of cultural symbols.
