Exhibition by Chinese Child Artists Opens at WIPO
Geneva, September 27, 2004
Press Releases PR/2004/392
An exhibition, featuring the work of some 100 children from the Heilongjiang Province of China, was inaugurated on September 27, 2004 in Geneva on the sidelines of the World Intellectual Property Organization's (WIPO) annual Assemblies in the presence of a number of the child artists. The centerpiece of the exhibit "Creativity by Children -A Chinese Experience," is an original 60 meter scroll which aligns some 100 paintings by the children. All of the paintings depict a theme relating to intellectual property.
Five of the child artists came to Geneva for the inauguration of the exhibit. These are Jiang Hongyao (8 years old), Li Zhenni (8 years old), Qiu Linjing (10 years old), Tu Shuo (9 years old), and Jin Dongjie (11 years old). The Chairman of the General Assembly, Ambassador Bernard Kessedjian (Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations in Geneva), said the child artists were a living example of the growing awareness of intellectual property. China's Ambassador, Mr. Sha Zukang, recalled that this project was completed in April 2001 to mark the first World Intellectual Property Day. The idea was launched by the intellectual property office of the Heilongjiang Province which asked children from ages ranging from five to fifteen years to paint pictures that depicted respect for the sciences and touched on themes of innovation, invention and progress.
Dr. Kamil Idris, Director General of WIPO, said that WIPO welcomed the opportunity to host this exhibition which reveals the talent of young Chinese artists and demonstrates awareness at an early age of intellectual property and its importance to human progress. Dr. Idris said "Respect for intellectual property and its appreciation as a valuable tool for scientific, cultural and social progress should begin at an early age and initiatives such as the one taken by the intellectual property office of the Heilongjiang Province are highly commendable and useful in this effort."
The exhibition is open to the public from September 28 to October 8, 2004.
For further information, please contact the Media Relations and Public Affairs Section at WIPO:
- Tel: (+41 22) - 338 81 61 or 338 95 47
- Fax: (+41 22) - 338 88 10
- Email: publicinf@wipo.int.