“CAFA Relay” is derived from the “Relay” exhibition by the faculty members from CAFA. “Relay” exhibition is a sustainable project proposed by the President of CAFA Fan Di’an towards the influences of “creation and research” of CAFA, “to build an important brand of the collective creative energy of CAFA, from the perspective of spirit and academic angle.” Relay refers to the young and middle-aged teachers taking the relay baton from the hands of the predecessors, to carry forward the artistic creative tradition of CAFA. Following the first Relay exhibition which was successively held in the National Art Museum of China on July 7, 2015, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s Resistance War Against the Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-facist War, “Relay in the Second Round: New Long March” is intensely in progress.

“CAFA Relay” has a WeChat public account.

It is the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Long March by the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army, what special performances has CAFA, the carrier of the collective creative force done for the numerous domestic commemorating events? Last November, President Fan hosted the opening meeting, and then organized many planning analysis meetings of different sizes. On January 14, 2016, all deans and directors of faculties and academic leaders were present at the symposium, where each one expressed his own view, the use of collective wisdom and efforts, to further clarify the definition of the “Long March”, and the thinking of the creative activity of the “Long March”.

Fan Di’an said: “Relay in the Second Round: Restarting a New Long March” is a collective creation study organized by the school, a multidisciplinary, multiple-professional, multiple-form, multiple-shape collective show, to reveal that CAFA is a large academic team with indispensible academic responsibilities and common cultural concerns. “New Long March” includes several meanings, firstly, “new review”, secondly, “new interpretation”, thirdly, “new experience”, fourthly, “new expression”. The planning and organization of the exhibition is a process to assist with the creation of all faculties of CAFA, including the High School Affiliated to CAFA. It is necessary to grasp the main melody, the relationship between the overall visual framework and the parts of the process, and it also requires the works to be assembled in the process, as the works are constantly molding. It is certain that it will be a new assembly.

Sun Jingbo: The 25000 li Long March is a constant relay, and the relay is the spirit of the 25000 li Long March, in the team of art workers, it should also form the spirit of “relay” that is fearless of danger and difficulty to finish a long and hard journey, generations encouraging each other.

Wang Shaojun: In the second round, we have a clear idea that we hope to separate it from the routines of a traditional commemorative exhibition, choosing a contemporary display language to reflect the ideological content of curating. A multidisciplinary, multiple-professional, multiple-form combination is also a feature of our exhibition.

Song Xiaoxia: “Relay” exhibition is an academic brand of the creative creation of CAFA, it is not only a show, but also an academic platform of the collective research and creation of CAFA, breeding and giving out a new creative mechanism in the process of all the teachers in the school working and pulling together.

Song Xiewei: “The exhibition should make a new breakthrough in the concept. First of all, it makes the exhibition become an event like the Long March, highlighting its narrative and experience for the audience. This event is influential and it is different from previous traditional patterns, it uses a style which is in line with the times, together with other similar activities to form an industrialized phenomenon, which affects the social public, government and even draws the attention of the central government.”

Editorial note: It is obvious that not only the School of Plastic Arts, the School of Design, the School of Architecture, the Department of Sculpture participate in the project, but also the School of Humanities joins in it, bringing together the energy of all the professionals of CAFA to create a new creative mechanism. The School of Plastic Arts, led by Dean Ma Lu is no doubt the major powerhouse for the exhibition and people place hope on the creative power of the young teachers of the School of Plastic Arts.

Prof. Qiu Zhijie from the School of Experimental Art was also present at the meeting, Qiu had organized a team to walk again along the road of the Long March, which is worthy of the name of contemporary art, while he is invited to join in the preparatory group of the project, it is a behavior of contemporary art in itself. Prof. Qiu Zhijie said at the conference that: It used the forms including voice (such as revivification of the on-site sound), multimedia performance, drama theatre, etc., taking this opportunity to make the exhibition different from the previous revolutionary historical themes. It was a key to go beyond traditional oil painting, sculpture, printmaking, and to focus on the perspectives of design, architectural mapping, and multimedia performance.

Courtesy of CAFA, translated by Chen Peihua and edited by Sue/CAFA ART INFO