STORY: Chinese and French artists discuss exchanges, mutual learning between cultures
SHOOTING TIME: Aug. 2, 2024
DATELINE: Aug. 7, 2024
LENGTH: 0:02:21
LOCATION: NANJING, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY/CULTURE

SHOTLIST: 
1. various of French illustrator Ugo Gattoni and Chinese artist Zhu Yingchun
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): UGO GATTONI, French illustrator
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): ZHU YINGCHUN, Chinese book designer
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): UGO GATTONI, French illustrator
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): ZHU YINGCHUN, Chinese book designer
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): UGO GATTONI, French illustrator
7. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): ZHU YINGCHUN, Chinese book designer

STORYLINE: 

French illustrator Ugo Gattoni is the designer of the official posters for the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics. 

Recently, he visited Nanjing Normal University in east China's Jiangsu Province, where he had an in-depth conversation with a Chinese artist.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): UGO GATTONI, French illustrator
"I'm Ugo Gattoni, I'm a 35-year-old artist. I'm based in Paris. My work is about creating big universes and translating with drawings on big-size drawings. So I had the chance coming to Nanjing and visit this workshop of tiny house of 'Mr. Antman' (Zhu Yingchun) here, which is a great honor to visit, and actually there is a barrier of the language. So at the beginning we couldn't speak, but really fast it was easy to share."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): ZHU YINGCHUN, Chinese book designer
"In recent years, my creations have tended to draw inspiration from nature, so I have created many artworks and books about insects. Ugo is an illustrator whom I have also been paying attention to from the perspective of illustration, including his illustrations for some well-known brands, as well as the posters he created for the Olympics, which were drawn with extremely meticulous techniques and surrealist methods to depict familiar scenes. His drawings employ a very unique technique."

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): UGO GATTONI, French illustrator
"It was really great to this introduction to his art because I think we both create big universes. The link between both could be the way we are enduring and living into our surrealist worlds. So both worlds are taking real references."

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): ZHU YINGCHUN, Chinese book designer
"I may have to learn from him and be more detailed in expressing a large scene on a flat surface. I tend to leave more space in my works, which is a characteristic of my aesthetics. But he fills his drawings with abundant detail, which is also a style that I would like to try."

SOUNDBITE 5 (English): UGO GATTONI, French illustrator
"The best way I guess doing some real strong collaboration between French artist and Chinese artist would be the best way to create an exhibition or a common project and to exhibit in both countries."

SOUNDBITE 6 (Chinese): ZHU YINGCHUN, Chinese book designer
"Art exchange is a very good way. Because we can see that sometimes art uses a direct approach to express, and even we don't need to use language to communicate. So art is an effective way to promote cultural exchange and produce impactful results."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Nanjing, China.
(XHTV)