On September 27, 2025, at 3:00 PM, the opening ceremony of the 15th Songzhuang Art Festival, featuring a joint exhibition of New Zealand and Chinese artists and the unveiling of the large-scale mural “Winged Leaders,” was grandly held at the New Zealand Contemporary Art Centre, No. 19, Area A, Songzhuang Art Factory Road, Beijing. Guests, artists, and visitors from New Zealand, Beijing, and other places flocked to the event, deeply impressed by the unique and innovative content of the exhibition and applauding the wonderful artworks by Chinese and New Zealand artists. A delegation from the New Zealand-China Friendship Association specially came to China to participate in the art exhibition. Among the attendees were Mr. Mike Dawson, Chairman of the New Zealand-China Friendship Association; Mr. Zong Yuan, Chairman of the New Zealand-China Investment and Trade Promotion Association and Chairman of Auckland International Art Space; Ms. Ding Mei, President of the New Zealand Overseas Chinese Association; and New Zealand artist Jamie Burton. Mr. Boynton, Mr. Tristan Wayne, and Ms. Sarah Lopati Wayne, all entrepreneurs from New Zealand, traveled from faraway New Zealand to Songzhuang, Beijing, to attend the opening ceremony of this art exhibition. Ms. Holly Mo, representative of the New Zealand Embassy in China, also traveled to Beijing to offer her congratulations and attend the opening ceremony.
Mr. Wang Zhicheng, Chairman of Beijing Songyigong International Culture and Art Development Co., Ltd.
The opening ceremony began with a speech by Mr. Wang Zhicheng, Chairman of Beijing Songyigong International Culture and Art Development Co., Ltd., the organizer. He emphasized that since the New Zealand Centre for Contemporary Art was established in the Songzhuang Art Factory Road Art District in 2019, it has held numerous significant Sino-New Zealand art exchange activities, strengthening exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and New Zealand artists, bringing international artistic thinking to Songzhuang Art Town, and opening the door for Chinese contemporary art to the international stage. This year, Songzhuang Songyigong International Culture and Art Development Co., Ltd. led Songzhuang artists to Xinjiang, Xi’an, and Qinhuangdao in the north, and Hong Kong in the south to participate in art exchanges, exhibitions, and collaborations. They brought the works of Songzhuang Art Factory District artists to all parts of the country, conveying the cultural image of Songzhuang Art Town, helping artists promote themselves and generate revenue, and achieving excellent social impact and fruitful market results.
Mr. Zong Yuan, Chairman of Auckland International Art Space Museum, New Zealand-China Investment and Trade Promotion Association, and Beijing New Zealand Contemporary Art Centre
In his address, Mr. Zong Yuan, Chairman of the Auckland International Art Space Museum, the New Zealand-China Investment and Trade Promotion Association, and the Beijing New Zealand Contemporary Art Centre, the organizers of the event, emphasized the importance and practical significance of art exchanges between New Zealand and China in the relationship between the two countries. He also expressed his vision and expectation to continuously promote art exchanges and cooperation between China and New Zealand, lead Chinese artists to the world stage, and help Songzhuang Art Town in China establish a regular international art cooperation mechanism.
Mr. Mike Dawson, Chairman of the New Zealand-China Friendship Association
Mr. Mike Dawson, Chairman of the New Zealand-China Friendship Association, also delivered a passionate speech. He highly praised the innovative cooperation model of promoting people-to-people friendship between China and New Zealand through art exchanges, and emphasized the significant role played by the New Zealand-China Friendship Association in people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. He also fully affirmed the positive, significant, and far-reaching significance of the large-scale mural “Winged Leader” created by New Zealand artist Jamie Burton in spreading New Zealand culture and art in China and promoting the implementation of specific projects for New Zealand-China friendship exchanges in China.
Mr. Xu Dawei, Secretary-General of the Panda Art Development Fund of the China Literature and Art Foundation
Jamie Boynton, a New Zealand artist
New Zealand entrepreneur Mr. Tristan Vinnie
Representatives of Chinese entrepreneurs: Mr. Jiang Biao and Mr. Wang Yijia
Mr. Xu Dawei, Secretary-General of the Panda Art Development Fund of the China Literature and Art Foundation, Mr. Jimmy Burton, a New Zealand artist, Mr. Tristan Vinnie, a New Zealand entrepreneur, and Mr. Jiang Biao, representative of the sponsoring organization Guizhou Forbidden City Winery Co., Ltd., delivered speeches.
This exhibition is one of the important exhibitions in the “Creativity-Resonance” series of the 15th Songzhuang Cultural and Art Festival in China. A total of eight artists from New Zealand and China participated, exhibiting 32 artworks, encompassing various art forms including contemporary oil painting, printmaking, sculpture, murals, and AI new media works. New Zealand artist Jimmy Burton created a large-scale mural, “A Call from Afar,” in the Songzhuang Art Factory Road Art District in Beijing in 2024. This mural received a positive response in both China and New Zealand, promoting practical exchanges and cooperation between the New Zealand and Chinese art communities. The New Zealand Embassy in China produced a special feature on this work for special coverage and promotion.
A Call from Afar – Jamie Boynton 2024
In 2025, Mr. Jimmy Burton returned to Songzhuang to create another large-scale mural, “The Winged Leader,” measuring 17m x 3m. These two works form a pair of sister pieces themed around New Zealand Maori cultural stories and friendly exchanges between New Zealand and China. It will add a significant chapter to the exchange between New Zealand and Chinese artists and to the artistic journey of New Zealand artists in China. The guests attending the exhibition witnessed the unveiling ceremony of this large-scale mural.
Winged Leader Jamie Boynton 2025
In addition, nearly one hundred people attended the opening ceremony of the art exhibition, including key leaders from Songzhuang Town, Beijing; Mr. Zheng Xiuquan, Deputy General Manager of China Arts and Entertainment Group; Ms. Mao Heli, an official from the New Zealand Embassy in Beijing; Mr. Jiang Baoliang, Ms. Tang Jingbo, and Mr. Zhai Xiang, guests from Qinhuangdao; entrepreneurs Mr. Song Baohua, Mr. Ying Hongqi, Mr. Lei Qinggang, Mr. Wang Yijia, Ms. Gong Nan, and Ms. Shen Na; artists Mr. Jiang Huan, Mr. Zhang Yibing, and Mr. Wu Dewu; and representatives of university students. During the exhibition, the oil painting “Harmony and Coexistence,” jointly created by New Zealand artist Jimmy Burton and Mr. Liu Zhong, considered the foremost painter of pandas in China, was also on display.
“Harmony and Coexistence” – Panda “Hehe” and Banwei Forest Pigeon “Meimei” Liu Zhong & Jamie Boynton 2025
EXHIBITION OPENING EVENTS
Mr. Zheng Xiuquan, Deputy General Manager of China Arts and Entertainment Group, and Mr. Zong Yuan of Auckland International Art Space
EXHIBITION INFORMATION
Exhibition Dates: September 28 – October 18, 2025
Exhibition Venue: New Zealand Centre for Contemporary Art, No. 19, Block A, Songzhuang Art Factory Road
Exhibition hours: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM; advance reservations are required for Saturdays and Sundays.
Contact number: 17303720907
All art lovers are welcome to join us in this grand event and visit the exhibition. (Admission is free)
