At 15:00 pm on September 20, 2017, “On Paper ? 2017 – Works Exhibition by Teachers from CAFA” opened in Hall 5, Beijing Times Art Museum. It features 105 exhibits by 67 teachers, who are from the Departments of Oil Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Murals, and the Fundamental Department of School of Plastic Arts, while the themes of works involved demonstrate the feelings of life, abstract philosophy. The exhibition is characterized in “taking paper as a medium” – exhibitors take paper as a required medium, to present the work in different creative ways, including drawing, watercolor, gouache, color and ink, returning to the most simple and natural creative method.

Fan Di’an, President of Central Academy of Fine Arts and Su Xinping, Vice President of Central Academy of Fine Arts, Academic Consultant of the “On Paper ? 2017 – Works Exhibition by Teachers from CAFA”, Wang Chuan, Director of the Division of Development and Planning of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Wang Gengfei, Founder of New Picture (Beijing) Education Technology Co., Ltd. and the curator of “On Paper ? 2017 – Works Exhibition by Teachers from CAFA”, as well as participating artists attended the opening ceremony. The opening ceremony was chaired by Ma Lu, Dean of the School of Plastic Arts at Central Academy of Fine Arts and the curator of “On Paper ? 2017 – Works Exhibition by Teachers from CAFA”.

First of all, Ma Lu welcomed the leaders, honored guests and artists to attend the opening ceremony, and thanked them for shareing their work. For the exhibited works using paper as the media for creation, Ma Lu said that: “Compared to canvas and metal, paper material is very common, simple, and very Chinese ... using nice paper to draw on, it is easy to find a feeling, evoking a simple spirit. Living up to them, we draw with paper ... on the basis of the pursuit of simplicity, nature, calmness, and atmospheric style, which can be called the nature of Central Academy of Fine Arts.”

Su Xinping, Vice President of Central Academy of Fine Arts, Academic Consultant of the “On Paper ? 2017 – Works Exhibition by Teachers from CAFA” first addressed the opening ceremony and said that, “The School of Plastic Arts at Central Academy of Fine Arts has been established for 14 years and currently it includes five departments, including oil painting, printmaking, sculpture, murals and fundamental education, which are all nuclear specialties of the academy. Both in the teaching and creation of art, or in the field of art at home and abroad, there is a very wide range of influence ... 67 exhibiting artists are basically the backbone of the teachers from the School of Plastic Arts. The works on paper are more real, essential and easy to communicate, so that it does not only directly face the daily works of the teachers from the School of Plastic Arts at Central Academy of Fine Arts, but also shows their results in art research and material practice. All artists throw away the limitation of material, and use the practice on paper to explore a new artistic breakthrough, which is also the biggest feature of this exhibition.”

Wang Gengfei, Founder of New Picture (Beijing) Education Technology Co., Ltd. and the curator addressed the opening ceremony and said that, “Prof. Ma Lu and I planned the first exhibition of ‘On Paper’ in 2004, and more than 20 teachers from the Department of Oil Painting attended the show.” After 13 years, Wang Gengfei was gratified by the second exhibition of “On Paper”, and said that “it is more powerful, and thanks for the support of all artists. This activity is of significance, and I hope the more events the better.” In addition, Mr. Wang Gengfei also introduced the Italian Fabriano Art Paper which offered artists the paper, as well as the history and purpose of the “New Picture” company.

The brilliant “works on paper” are the artistic practices after the teaching of the teachers from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, which are permeated with the ideas of the teachers from CAFA, which is also the artistic achievement of the material practice of each teacher, as Ma Lu, Dean of the School of Plastic Arts at Central Academy of Fine Arts and the curator wrote in the preface reading: The exhibition takes “paper” as the medium, to draw a new perspective, to shape a new posture, to inherit the artistic manner of the academy, entering the times and moving towards the future.

Text by Zhong Yuwei, Photo by Hu Sichen/CAFA ART INFO

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

About the Exhibition

Title: “On Paper ? 2017 – Works Exhibition by Teachers from CAFA”

Academic Chair: Su Xinping

Curators: Ma Lu, Wang Gengfei

Duration: September 26 - October 13, 2017

Venue: Hall 5, Beijing Times Art Museum

Participating Artists: Fan Di’an, Su Xinping, Wang Shaojun, Bai Xiaogang, Cai Haokun, Cao Wei, Cao Yi, Chen Ye, Dong Zhuo, Ning Fangqian, Guo Changjiang, He Pengqi, Hu Jiancheng, Huang Yang, Huang Zhen, Jia Peng, Kong Liang, Kang Jianfei, Kang Lei, Li Chen, Li Ronglin, Li Yang, Lin Xiaochu, Liu Bin, Liu Feng, Liu Liping, Liu Shangying, Liu Zunhai, Lu Liang, Lv Pinjing, Ma Jiawei, Ma Lu, Ma Xiaoteng, Meng Luding, Pei Yongmei, Qin Pu, Shi Yu, Sun Lu, Sun Shixiang, Sun Tingting, Sun Xun, Tang Chenghua, Tang Hui, Wang Chuan, Wang Fang, Wang Huaxiang, Wang Shaolun, Wang Yinsheng, Wu Xiaohai, Wu Jiang, Xia Libin, Xiao Li, Wen Ying, Yang Cheng, Yang Hongwei, Ye Nan, Yin Jiahe, Yu Hong, Yuan Yuan, Zou Shengwu, Zhang Han, Zhang Lujiang, Zhang Zhandi, Zhou Simin, Zhu Yanchun.

Sponsors: Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing Times Art Museum

Organizers: School of Plastic Arts at Central Academy of Fine Arts, New Picture (Beijing) Education Technology Co., Ltd.

Co-organizers: Huaxi International Investment Group, Huaxi LIVE

Supported by Italian Fabriano Art Paper