An international online art exhibition, "Celebrating the New Year, Greeting Beijing Winter Olympics", kicked off on Tuesday. Organized by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, its opening ceremony was marked by a symposium.

The exhibition showcases 126 pieces of work — from oil paintings to ink paintings, realism to abstractionism, classical technique to modern technique — by 115 artists from 43 countries on five continents. The works show the charm of the Winter Olympics, winter sports as well as the festive atmosphere of a new year.

The artists also wanted to encourage people who have been affected by the pandemic by depicting the vigor in sports competitions and an active life. "This exhibition is not only a salute to the Olympic spirit from people around the world and their strong support for Beijing 2022, but also an art gala for mutual learning among civilizations," said Lin Songtian, president of the CPAFFC, at the opening ceremony.

"Once again, people around the world will be united under the banner of the Olympics, work hand in hand to meet global challenges, build a community with a shared future, and a better world in the wake of the pandemic by carrying forward the Olympic spirit of peace, friendship, progress and inclusiveness," Lin said.

Artists from France, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Hungary and China participated in the online symposium, sharing their views on artistic creation, art exchanges, cultural exchanges and their Olympic-themed art designs.

The artists agreed that art was a communication tool and that sports and games were also a part of cultural communication that can promote mutual understanding and friendship among people. They found it inspiring to create art based on the Winter Olympics.

Foreign artists said cultural exchanges between China and their countries had been fruitful and expressed expectations for future cooperation.

The online art exhibition will be on till March 18.