Photo: Courtesy of Greek Embassy in China

The Tides of the Century - 2020 Ocean Flower Island International Art Exhibition officially opened on Thursday in South China's Hainan Province and Greece is the Guest Country of Honor in the exhibition.

The exhibition, inaugurated at the Ocean Flower Island, featured in 7 museums 176 works by 95 artists from 24 countries. It is expected to run until December 8, 2021 at the Ocean Flower Island Museum in Hainan's Danzhou city. 

Greece and China are also celebrating the "Greece-China Year of Culture and Tourism" This year. Both Greece and China have placed this exhibition under the "Greece-China Year of Culture & Tourism 2021". 

The Guest Country of Honor exhibition is titled "Thesis-Antithesis-Synthesis. In the Belt of Change". It has been conceived and curated by Ms. Katerina Koskina, supported by "Polites", an non-profit cultural association. The initiative of the Greek exhibition project and its coordination and production was undertaken by "PostScriptum" company under its CEO Mr. Kostas Konstantinidis.  

Secretary General for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic, Prof. John Chrysoulakis, underscored the significance of the exhibition event, placed within the framework of the "Sino-Greek Year of Culture and Tourism 2021" when culture and tourism relations are celebrated together for the first time.  

This is also a very significant year for Greece as the country celebrates 200 years since its War of Independence that had cultural revival at its core and inspired support to the Greek Revolution from Philhellenes all over the world, he said.

He also referred to Greece-China cooperation on many relevant areas such as the prevention of theft and illegal trade of cultural relics, the ancient civilization forum, protection of cultural and natural heritage, etc. 

While addressing the opening ceremony, Greek Ambassador to China Georgios Iliopoulos noted that the Greek Pavilion exhibition offers the Chinese visitors unique glimpses into modern Greek Art and may help them understand better Greece, the country's history, cultural continuity and resilience, and, how the mind of Greece has continuously sought, till today, to capture the inner significance and the essence of our World, or "Cosmos," through the beauty of forms and the balance of artistic expression.