Sculpture Projects Pingyao to debut in July

The inaugural Sculpture Projects Pingyao, a festival aimed at promoting cultural communication between the East and the West, will kick off on July 20, said officials at a news conference in the Palace Museum in Beijing on Thursday.

And sculpture artists and art students, from both home and abroad, will display their recent works in Pingyao county, Shanxi province, from August to September.

The artists will also create new works during the festival, which will also hold symposium and other academic events.

Curators from Venice Binnale and other major art festivals from across the world have been invited to participate in the upcoming festival, and awards will be presented to outstanding works shown in Pingyao.

The festival, co-launched by the county government and Austria-based Mobius Art Foundation, will add another key art event in Pingyao, a place of 2,800 years' history and also a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its well-preserved city walls, abundant ancient architecture, and the brilliant earthen sculptures in local Buddhist temples.

Mobius Art Foundation, which is composed of Chinese living in Europe, is dedicated to academic study and collection of Western art pieces.

The annual Pingyao International Photography Festival has been going on for 17 times, and the Pingyao International Film Festival was also created last year.