The Shanghai Association for International Cultural and Artistic Exchange

The Shanghai Association for International Cultural and Artistic Exchange is a professional non-profit organization with a long-standing presence in the field of international cultural and artistic exchange, dedicated to fostering cultural dialogue and artistic collaboration between China and countries around the world. Based in Shanghai, the Association leverages the city's distinctive international character to actively build a platform connecting Chinese and foreign artists, cultural institutions, and the broader public.

Over the years, the Association has participated in and facilitated a wide range of significant international art projects, accumulating extensive experience in cross-border collaboration across disciplines including painting, watercolor, and sculpture. Its President, Zhao Kangwei, has devoted himself to the cause of Sino-foreign cultural exchange for many years and enjoys wide recognition and a strong reputation within the art communities of both China and abroad.

Within the Venice International Watercolor Festival, the Shanghai Association for International Cultural and Artistic Exchange plays an important supervisory role, assisting in the overall coordination of the festival and serving as the primary liaison on the Chinese side. The Association has also established a dedicated nomination award, contributing a distinctly Chinese institutional perspective and aesthetic sensibility to the festival's judging process. Its deep involvement has not only strengthened artistic exchange between China and Italy, but has also played a meaningful and positive role in bringing Chinese watercolor art onto the international stage.