“The Start of A Long Journey – 2013 CAFA Excellent Graduation Works Exhibition” was inaugurated at CAFAM on June 25, 2013. This is the fifth year of “The Start of A Long Journey”, hosted by CAFA, organized by CAFAM, featuring a total of 155 pieces/sets of works, and remains until August 25. In addition, the national edition of “The Start of A Long Journey”, will officially launch a “The Start of A Long Journey ‘Practicing’ Art Project”.

At 14:00, the press conference was held in the VIP room of CAFAM, presided over by Tang Bin, Vice Director of CAFAM, and Xu Bing, Vice President of CAFA, Wang Huangsheng, Director of CAFAM, Yu Ding, Vice Dean of the School of Humanities, CAFA, respectively gave a speech. Xu Bing said, over the five years, “The Start of A Long Journey” had become an exhibition of international influence and ductility, a good system to recommend to the public the excellent graduates of the academy. In addition, CAFA would launch a tracking program of the “The Start of A Long Journey”, an important part of the “CAFA Graduate” project of the “One hundred Years Project” of CAFA.

Wang Huangsheng expressed that, since 2009, “The Start of A Long Journey” exhibition had expanded step by step, the planning and exhibition effect had become increasing sophisticated, the concepts and techniques of the works were increasingly “diverse”. In addition, the number of the graduation works collected by the museum has been improved compared with the previous years, leaping from 59 sets last year to 78 sets this year. Subsequently, Yu Ding said: As a part of building the brand “CAFA Student”, the tracing project of “The Start of A Long Journey”, was designed to build a file of ten years work for each participating young artist. It would contain the information of the artists, including the exhibitions, publishing catalogs and works, as well as the situation in the market, etc. in addition, the project would also set up a special tracking research group, combining the daily teaching of the School of Humanities.

At 15:00, “The Start of A Long Journey in Its Fifth Round – 2013 CAFA Excellent Graduation Works Exhibition” officially launched its opening ceremony. It was presided over by Xu Bing, Vice President of CAFA, Pan Gongkai, President of CAFA, Gao Hong, Party Secretary of CAFA, and Yin Ji-nan, Dean of the School of Humanities, CAFA. In addition, Lv Pinjing, Dean of the School of Architecture, CAFA, Gao Tianxiong, Director of Basic Department of the School of Plastic, CAFA, Wang Zhong, Deputy Dean of the School of Urban Design, CAFA, Song Xiewei, Deputy Dean of the School of Design, CAFA, etc., were invited to present at the opening ceremony.

Pan Gongkai said: “The Start of A Long Journey – 2013 CAFA Excellent Graduation Works Exhibition” is in its fifth round, after five years of development, it has been successfully extended to the whole country, and becomes an important brand of academic exhibitions of CAFA. The flourishing development of “The Start of A Long Journey”, reflected the increasing open academic attitude and a high-level international academic vision of CAFA. Through a project that is open to the public, building an open and equal platform for exchanges and studies, this also offers society a more comprehensive and intuitive understanding of the status quo of Chinese higher art education. In a sense, it has become a bridge for outstanding young Chinese artists to go to the world stage, opening up a wider road for their artistic development.”

Subsequently, Gao Hong, Party secretary of CAFA spoke. Prof. Yin Ji-nan, Dean of the School of Humanities, mentioned three words in his speech: “future”, “arrival”, “eternal”. For young art students, full of enthusiasm, Prof. Yin Jinan said, “We bless you, the future artists, scholars and designers when you are admitted to the academy; currently we bless you, the new artists, scholars and designers; in the future, the community will admit you, the eternal artists, scholars and designers!”

“The Start of A Long Journey” exhibition

Through a strict academic assessment and careful selection, the exhibition features the selected works by the graduates of the master or bachelor degree, from the School of Chinese Painting, School of Plastic, School of Design, School of Architecture and School of Urban Design. Participating students are not only graduates of the academy, but also rising stars of the art world, while their works are the result produced by the combination of educational thought of CAFA, that is inheritance and innovation, and the individualized teaching approach.

Currently, “The Start of A Long Journey” project has spread across the country, the national exhibition has been held each year, three times until today, including nine key art institutions: Central Academy of Fine Arts, China Academy of Art, Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Hubei Academy of Fine Arts, Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts, Academy of Art & Design, Tsinghua University. The fourth round will be held in the China Academy of Art on November 1, 2013. At the same time, in 2012 "National ‘The Start of A Long Journey’” project, a touring exhibition across the nation, presented the selection of more than one hundred pieces in the national public art museums in Shandong province, Hebei Province, Henan Province, Guangdong Province, etc., expanding the influence of the brand.

Moreover, not only does it get good promotion at home, but also abroad, in early 2012, The Start of a Long Journey: The Collection of Excellent Graduation Works (2009-2011) from CAFA was inaugurated at the art space of Art @ Golden Square in London. We will continue to promote the project in foreign countries over the next two years, including the exhibitions which are being planned and prepared in USA, West Asia, etc.

“The Start of A Long Journey ‘Practicing’ Art Project”

Led by CAFA, uniting the nine key art institutions, as well as social resources, “The Start of A Long Journey ‘Practicing’ Art Project” builds a platform for an exchange with the community, for part of the finalists of the “The Start of A Long Journey”. Annually, it will find and build appropriate art practice projects; including academic exchanges, urban art practices in the community, funding art projects, research programs, resident programs for international artists, etc. “2013 Practicing” project will focus on the special issues of urban public space, art practice into the community.

Tracking program of “The Start of A Long Journey”

CAFA initially launches a tracing project on “The Start of A Long Journey”, a brand-building program combined teaching and program management, the first phase of the implementation period is ten years. It is to trace each participating young artist in the exhibition, aiming to have an in-depth and comprehensive record of their development information, building a set of data bases of the outstanding graduates, to examine the teaching system as to whether it realizes the target to foster high artistic talent, cultivating more talent for Chinese cultural development.

Therefore, the School of Humanities opens an “Art Archive Basics and Practices” course for the freshman classes, learning how to collect information, collect documents, file entry, clarifying the standards, with a combination of teaching and practice, to comprehensively promote student growth. Every year, sophomores of the School of Humanities, will be responsible for tracing the information of the outstanding graduates of the year participating in “The Start of A Long Journey”.

2013 CAFA Excellent Graduation Works Exhibition

Dates: June 25 – August 25, 2013

Venue: CAFA Art Museum

Host: CAFA

Organizer: CAFA Art Museum

General Exhibition Director: Xu Bing

General Project Executive: Tang Bin

Journalist: Yu Ya/CAFA ART INFO

Photo: Dong Huiping, Quan Jing/CAFAM

Translated by Chen Peihua and edited by Sue/CAFA ART INFO