A new contemporary art magazine will soon be launched, adding a "new force" to the Chinese periodical world, according to a press conference held Wednesday in Beijing.
The magazine, entitle Contemporary Art, will have its first issue in April, aiming to offering readers a serious channel to understand the Chinese contemporary art world.
Target readers will be lovers of Chinese contemporary art, collectors and insiders and alike, said chief editor Yu Guangren at the conference.
Contemporary Art will conduct academic research by publishing serious papers by artists and experts, as well as "covering news and in-depth stories concerning the Chinese art market," Yu said.
He told the Global Times that although the art market is fast developing, there are few professional magazines observing the phenomenon. As a magazine focusing on contemporary art, its responsibility is to "watch closely both artistic creation and the market."
The magazine will focus on extensive art genres such as ink painting, calligraphy and sculpture, and will also cover avant-garde art, which is under the spotlight of both domestic and international media world but with few local mainstream magazines paying attentions.
"Avant-garde art such as videos and installations is a hot topic today, and that's why we need to pay much attention to it," Yu said. "But we will largely focus on traditional art genres, as they are still the mainstream in today's Chinese art world."
Along with the launch of the magazine, an institution focusing on traditional art and calligraphy in Beijing was also opened, with famous calligrapher Zhang Biao as director.
Zhang told the Global Times that the institution aims at boosting traditional Chinese art and calligraphy, and will also enhance international communications between the two genres.