THE second International Dafen Oil Painting Fair will open at the central plaza of Dafen Village later this month.

    The fair will feature an auction of original oil paintings and other art, a fine arts industry summit and other events that promote original art.

    “Dafen artists have shifted their focus onto creating original works. This year’s exhibition will reflect the trend,” said Xiong Guowei of the fair’s organizing committee.

    Hosted by Longgang District Government and several other government departments, the first Dafen oil painting fair was held in December last year. Around 655 million yuan (US$103m) worth of art works were sold during the first fair, of which 380 million yuan was contributed by foreign buyers.

    To attract more guests, the Dafen oil painting fair coincides with the Canton Fair. The organizers have also arranged for buses to pick up guests from Guangzhou.

    A trading fair, the central event of the oil painting fair, will be held between Oct. 25 and 30 at the Dafen Art Museum and Dafen Art Trading Plaza. Divided into four areas, the fair will feature original oil paintings, decorative oil paintings, original modern art and paintings by foreign artists. In total there will be 400 booths for exhibitors.

    An industry summit will be held by the journal Chinese Fine Arts during the fair. Industry insiders will make a retrospective summary of China’s oil painting industry and discuss its future course.

    Meanwhile, a China Cultural and Innovative Industry Summit will be held along with lecture about art collection. There will also be a Universiade-themed oil painting competition.

    (Li Dan)