Believe it or not, some of those who reside in Beijing are put off by the sports fever about to grip their city. What are games, they ask, compared to the arts? What can Olympic revelry offer the sensitive soul?

If you sympathize, then stop sniffing that daisy, wipe your tears, and pay a visit to the China Art Gallery, in the National Art Museum north of famous Wangfujing Street. It's the site of the Third Beijing International Art Biennale.

Over 700 pieces from 700 hundred artists representing 81 countries revolve around the theme of "Colors & Olympism". Have the Olympics spawned a belief system meriting the suffix '-ism'? Why not. Compared to the vibrant works below, words are vague things at best, easily overlooked. "Colors are just like the beautiful rainbow connecting our dreams with reality, as well as art with the Olympics," said Feng Yuan, deputy chair of the China Federation of the Literary and Arts Circles, to prove it.

Read on to see some of the best entries. 

Hua Qimin

Sun Yumin

Tennis / 2007

Zheng Bo

Dogfall / 2007

Chandra Srivastava [India]

Olympic Spirit III / 2007

Monique Baroni [France]

Pekin / 2008

Reinhard Stangi [Germany]

Tennisplayer / 2006

Rafael Bestard Mos [Spain]

In the Forest IV / 2007

Lhagvasuren Gombo Ichin [Mongolia]

Polo / 2007

Edward Shahda [Syria]

Color of Life / 2007

Lola Fischer vel Aleksandra [Poland]

Colors of Victory / 2007

Duchateau / France

Swimmer / 2007

China Art Gallery

National Art Museum

1 Wusi Street, Doncheng District, Beijing [3 lights north of the Wangfujing shopping street, northeast corner]

(86-10) 64O17076

The Exhibition runs until August 24th.