Fraternity, a group show launched Friday at the Art Des Gallery in Beijing, invites viewers to embark on an artistic journey of peace and fraternity between peoples. It showcases 116 artworks by 21 up-and-coming artists from Argentina, Costa Rica, Mexico, Uruguay and China.

Mexican painter Gabriel Sánchez Viveros's Flowers' Soul on show at Fraternity, a group exhibition held at Art Des Gallery in Beijing. (Photo provided to China Daily)

"'Fraternity' here means brotherhood among countries. Our region is far from China, but the exhibits have the possibility to narrow the distance among us," said Diego Ramiro Guelar, Argentine ambassador to China.

Believing "fraternity among human beings plays an inalienable role in building a fair society of sustainable peace", curator Pierre Alivon has brought together artists from five countries to convey the message fraternity, despite being a challenge in modern world, is worth pursuing and becoming reality through art, which is "the first road to peace".

Viewers to the show will be greeted by Uruguayan artist Ines Agresta's meters-long stuffed dragon hovering over the gallery's corridor. On view are also Chinese sculptor Liu Ruowang's signature sculpture series The East is Red and Argentine photographer Celeste Urreaga's surreal shots taken from around the world.

Uruguayan artist Ines Agresta poses for a picture with her installation, a meters-long stuffed dragon on Nov 29, 2019 at the opening of Fraternity, a group exhibition held at Art Des Gallery in Beijing. (Photo: China Daily)

"The art I always love is art that tells stories, and these paintings just tell us a lot of beautiful stories," said Nikolaus Ellrodt, a freelance curator, also a specialist and art lover of Latin American art.

What entranced Ellrodt was Mexican painter Gabriel Sánchez Viveros's Flowers' Soul, a series comprised of 10 paintings. Using pigments extracted from the flowers and plants in his garden, the artist captured images of flowers and also blurry images of himself and his family.

"They make me feel life is transient and we need to make the most of it, experiencing the world and cherishing our loved ones," another visitor commented.

"'Fraternity' is the ties that unite our countries and it begins with mutual understanding. For this, art is the best vehicle to express the spirit of our peoples," remarked Jose Luis Bernal, Mexican ambassador to China.

"Art is an excellent means to show how close we are, how we see the world together from different perspectives but always trying to look for the same values", echoed Fernando Lugris, Uruguayan ambassador to China.

The show ends on Jan 10.

If you go:

Free admission, Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00-19:00, Contemporary Art Culture Center, 3rd Floor, No.7 Gongti West Road, Chaoyang district, Beijing北京市朝阳区工体西路目的地三楼艺术中心