Address for the Opening Reception of the United Nations "Du Yuzhou Art Exhibit”
Source: CNTEX Date: 2007-06-21
Dear Mr.Kiyotaka AKASAKA, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations for Communications and Public Information,
Ambassador Wang Guangya, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations,Ladies and gentlemen, good evening!
First of all, I wish to express my gratitude to Under-Secretary-General Akasaka and Ambassador Wang Guangya for their warm speeches.
Today I feel deeply honored by the presence of envoys from various countries, officials and staff men1bers of the United Nations, and friends from various fields in the United States at this opening reception.
The works I display here use visual ad to express the journey of my professional and artistic feelings. At the end ofthe1960s, I started out to become an architect, and
from work as a textile construction engineer I went on to take a leadership position in the Chinese textile industry, which I have held from 1985 to the present, 22 years in total. Architecture and textiles are products of human civilization and although they have different physical forms, both are the same in their way of carrying cultural values. Both are closely related to people's daily lives, environmental significance and aesthetic pursuits. Thus from my deep love of architecture and art, I very naturally came to immerse myself in apparel and fashion culture. I used my training and work as an architect as the foundation for my understanding of the textile industry and the start of a new career development. This enabled me to get closely involved with and focused on the interaction of three factors in the textile industry:
Firstly, as an industry of the Chinese people, the textile industry must accelerate its adaptation to the global modern economy;
Secondly, as the world's largest clothing industry, it must accelerate the use of new science and technology to become a creative, resource-saving, and environmentally friendly industry;
Thirdly, as a civilized and trend-setting manufacturing industry, the industry must work hard to raise the level of artistic creativity, with mutual interaction between science and technology and economic reforms, to cultivate a name brand culture and to accelerate transformation of methods for industrial growth.
Socioeconomics, technology and science, and cultural creativity complement each other, which helps me to orient myself in my efforts to combine scientific spirit with the humanistic spirit. My artistic practice further ignites me to have the courage to seek industrial vitality from a cultural and visual perspective.
My work in the textile industry gives me the opportunity to get into contact with the diverse cultures of the world. I am proud of China's long and magnificent traditional culture and delighted by the history and creativity of other civilized nations of the world, and deeply inspired to further experience the pulse of the modem civilization.
Historically, the Chinese people preserve the pure roots of their traditional culture and history while maintaining sincere respect and strong integration ability towards the world's diverse cultures. The knowledge economy and the information society have brought human beings to a new era of mixed cultures which is omnipresent. Let's treasure this new era of peace, cooperation and development, and build a more beautiful tomorrow of common human enlightenment and creativity!
I would like to thank once more the Chinese Book Club of the United Nations for inviting me to exhibit in the United Nations, and to thank my friends for their encouragement and help. I cherish this opportunity for exchanging views with friends from various nations at this solemn location.
