BEIJING, CN / ACCESS Newswire / September 23, 2025 / In a bold fusion of art and diplomacy, the Lin Xiang Xiong (LXX) Art Gallery has announced a landmark collaboration with Leaders for Peace, the Paris-based foundation chaired by former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and supported by over 40 influential global figures including Ban Ki-Moon, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and Nobel Peace Prize laureates.
(L-R) Jean-Pierre Raffarin, Honorary Chairman of Leaders for Peace and Professor Lin Xiang Xiong, founder of LXX Art Gallery and Board Member of Leaders for Peace
This partnership will culminate in a global programme titled "Presenting Peace Through Art", an initiative that repositions art once confined to cultural enrichment as a diplomatic force for dialogue, reconciliation, and education. It reflects both parties' shared belief that peace must be cultivated not only through policy and negotiation but through the creative power of soft culture, a universal language that touches hearts and minds to foster understanding and harmony.
The collaboration will roll out a series of high-profile initiatives designed to merge artistic expression with peace-building:
Peace Prize (2026) - A symbolic sculpture conceived by acclaimed artist Myriam Agout as the Peace Prize trophy, embodying fragility, hope, and resilience, to be unveiled as a global emblem of peace.
Joint Multicultural Artwork - Artists from around the world will co-create a single work for peace, with one version to remain at the LXX Gallery and another to tour internationally.
Academic Programs - Courses such as "Art as Healing and Expression" and "Teaching Peace Without Words" will equip future leaders to use art as a tool for empathy, resilience, and cross-cultural dialogue.
Global Conferences - Leaders, diplomats, and artists will gather to debate how art can challenge divisions and inspire unity.
"We are delighted to welcome Professor Lin Xiang Xiong to the Board of Leaders for Peace, an invitation we extended in recognition of his dedication to cultural dialogue and peace," said Jean-Pierre Raffarin, Honorary Chairman of Leaders for Peace. "Peace is not only forged at negotiating tables, it begins in the hearts and minds of people. This collaboration with the LXX Art Gallery shows that art is not a passive mirror of society but an active instrument of diplomacy, shaping our shared destiny as powerfully as the signatures of treaties."
Professor Lin Xiang Xiong, founder of LXX Art Gallery and newly appointed to the Board added, "Joining the Board of Leaders for Peace is a profound honour. I believe art can bridge cultures and spark dialogue where words alone may fail. With this partnership, Eastern art joins the global conversation on peace and renewal. Through art, we turn silence into empathy, pain into dialogue, and division into hope, a new moral language where creativity becomes a vessel for healing and the gallery stands as a symbol of reconciliation and hope."
With international tensions and social fragmentation on the rise, the collaboration signals a fresh, humanistic approach to diplomacy. By fusing the power of art with the diplomatic influence of Leaders for Peace, the initiative establishes a new paradigm, where a gallery becomes a platform for global dialogue, and an artwork becomes a universal language of reconciliation. The global citizenship of Malaysia, as a negotiator and supporter of conflict-settlement, aligns with the initiatives of the peace proliferation.
The LXX Art Gallery, set to open in Penang in mid-December 2025, will serve as the Asian cornerstone of this initiative, anchoring artistic thought and education in a space dedicated to "Art for Peace". Meanwhile, Leaders for Peace will mobilise its vast network, which includes global policymakers, UN ambassadors, and cultural figures, to elevate the message at the highest levels of international advocacy.
Together, the partnership envisions not simply exhibitions, but acts of remembrance, sites of healing, and conduits for hope.
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About Leaders for Peace
Leaders for Peace is an independent foundation and think-and-do tank that promotes multilateralism, peace education, and advocacy. Its members include former heads of state, global policymakers, and Nobel Prize winners who mobilize for innovative approaches to peace. For more information, please visit leaderspourlapaix.org.
About Lin Xiang Xiong
Professor Lin Xiang Xiong is a renowned artist, entrepreneur, and advocate for global security through art. As President of the Global Chinese Arts & Culture Society, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Art, and a visiting Professor at Peking University, Lin's work crosses disciplines and borders, connecting Eastern and Western cultures.
In 2025, he received a personal invitation to join the Board of Leaders for Peace, highlighting international recognition of his efforts to bridge cultures through art.
His painting style is a dynamic combination of abstraction, traditional techniques, and contemporary social commentary, touching on themes such as Southeast Asian heritage, anti-war, anti-pollution, anti-poverty, and the human condition. Despite being involved in the commercial field, Lin has never neglected his commitment to art as a force for good.
Professor Lin is an outspoken advocate of the power of the arts in promoting peace and unity. In 2016, he curated a UNESCO exhibition titled "Art for Peace - Cultural Dialogue between East and West", which calls on artists to rise up as peacemakers, reduce inequality, and protect the planet. These events resulted in important cultural dialogues that have been documented and archived by UNESCO.
In June 2025, Professor Lin Xiang Xiong received the Gold Medal and Certificate from the Ligue Universelle du Bien Public, recognising his decades-long artistic career and his contributions to society and humanity.
Professor Lin has published numerous works, including 8 collections of paintings and 27 volumes of essay and art criticism.
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SOURCE: Lin Xiang Xiong Art Gallery
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