Ningbo International Poster Exhibition

Author: Pan Qin Jiang Hua
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-11-01
Features: On September 26, 2004, the autumn atmosphere began to set in at Jiulong Shan Villa. A gentle breeze carried the fragrance of osmanthus flowers. In this serene landscape, fifty minutes away from the city center, the villa was completely detached from the hustle and bustle of urban life. The second round of reviews for the 3rd Ningbo International Poster Biennial took place here, where all the selected works for this biennial were also produced.
Looking back to October 1999, the 1st Ningbo International Poster Biennial (‘99 International Poster Invitational on Fashion and Culture) was launched at the Tianyi Pavilion Museum in Ningbo. The ancient Chinese architecture, with its pavilions and towers, and its collection of tens of thousands of precious classics, contrasted and intertwined with the highly modern poster designs. In the same golden autumn, the 2nd Ningbo International Poster Biennial opened in the exhibition hall of Ningbo News Center, located at the confluence of the three rivers in November 2001. It showcased over 300 selected works from nearly 2,000 entries submitted by designers from around the world. The opening also featured an international poster exhibition by eight invited international judges: Ahn Sang-soo from South Korea, Philippe Apeloig from France, Wang Xu and Chen Fang from China, Han Jiaying from China, Kan Tai-keung from Hong Kong, Mitsuo Katsui from Japan, and James Victor from the United States.
As Ningbo becomes the first city in mainland China to host an international poster biennial, the continuation of the event has become inevitable. The preparation for the 3rd Ningbo International Poster Biennial was thus put on the agenda. After careful and serious consideration, the organizing committee extended invitations to Kenya Hara from Japan, Uwe Loesch from Germany, Leonardo Sonnoli from Italy, David Tartakover from Israel, Niklaus Troxler from Switzerland, Edwin Vollebergh from the Netherlands, Wang Xu from China, and Stanley Wong from Hong Kong to serve as international judges for the 3rd Ningbo International Poster Biennial. All of them happily accepted the invitation. They are internationally renowned graphic designers with diverse cultural backgrounds and creative approaches, forming a strong international judging panel.
However, in 2003, the sudden outbreak of SARS forced the organizing committee to change its plans. The 3rd Ningbo International Poster Biennial, originally scheduled for November 2003, was postponed to November 2004. Fortunately, this decision was understood and supported by the eight international judges.
The 3rd Ningbo International Poster Biennial attracted attention from graphic designers around the world. Although this biennial limited each participating designer to submitting up to five (or a series) of works, by the submission deadline of September 15, 2004, the organizing committee received 1,648 (or series) poster works from 532 designers or groups from 32 countries and regions. The number of participating designers and the quality of the works far exceeded those of the 2nd Ningbo International Poster Biennial. What’s exciting is that a significant number of young, internationally renowned designers participated. Additionally, although the call for entries required works from after 2001, nearly all the submitted works were newly created in the past two years.
The international judging panel for this biennial consisted of Kenya Hara, Leonardo Sonnoli, Wang Xu, and Stanley Wong. By selecting judges with different cultural backgrounds and nationalities for the second round of reviews, the aim was to evaluate the selected works more accurately and fairly.