At the age of 83, Bernar Venet, one of the most significant conceptual artists in France and worldwide, has come to Beijing to personally oversee the opening of his major retrospective, "Bernar Venet: Beyond Concept and Matter,"at the Phoenix Center. The artist attended the opening ceremony, where he also presented a live performance art piece.

The exhibition showcases nearly 180 iconic works spanning Venet's 60-year career. Some of these series were previously featured in major exhibitions like the São Paulo Biennale, Documenta in Kassel, and the Venice Biennale, and have been shown in prestigious museums including New York's Museum of Modern Art, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and Tate Modern in London. This exhibition also celebrates the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France, the China-France Cultural Tourism Year, and the 18th annual "Festival Croisements."

Occupying over 10,000 square meters of exhibition space at the Phoenix Center, Venet's unique body of work ranges from tar paintings and cardboard reliefs to performance art, mathematical paintings, new media interactions, biomorphic sculptures, as well as photography, sound, and film. "I decided to pursue art at 11, and by 14, I realized art was more than creating a painting or sculpture within four walls—it was about achieving something transcendent," Venet remarked in his opening speech. "We need to question: What is art? The artist must contemplate the essence of art."

Throughout the exhibition's preparation, Venet traveled frequently between China and France to personally oversee the setup despite his advanced age. During the opening ceremony, he performed his piece *The Image Memory of Bars and Gestures*, a work made of steel that aligns closely with Venet's exploration of "change." He aims for his creations to reveal a world that is open, diverse, hybrid, and ever-evolving, resisting definition and conceptualization, imbuing every attendee with a vibrant artistic energy.

Xiao Ge, the Chinese curator and Editor-in-Chief of Phoenix Art, described Venet as an artist constantly challenging boundaries. "His work traverses painting, sculpture, and performance art, but his deep exploration of material and concept remains constant. Venet's works bridge cultures, rooted in both materiality and ideology."

This retrospective is a culmination of Venet's classic pieces, particularly his renowned large-scale weathering steel sculptures with arcs and geometric structures from the past thirty years, harmoniously resonating with the architectural design of the Phoenix Center. The exhibition invites viewers to experience a rich artistic atmosphere, appreciating both the cultural and spiritual impact of Venet's work, along with his contributions to the integration and innovation of Eastern and Western art forms.

The exhibition will be open until February 28, 2025.