The press conference of “The 7th Award of Art China?Selections of the Annual Influential 2012” was held at the Palace Museum on January 24, 2013. Initiated by Artron.com, AAC it is an annual selection that sifts through the development of contemporary Chinese art, to reward outstanding figures and events. After several rounds of selection by experts each year, the awards of the most influential artists in oil painting, ink and wash, calligraphy, installation and multimedia, sculpture, and photography of the year, as well as the most influential young artists, art exhibitions, and publications of the year are announced, it has been successfully held six times since 2005. Starting from the preliminary selection in Beijing on January 11, it takes three months for the selection committee to finish the preliminary selection and the final selection, and finally the award ceremony night of AAC will be held at Ningshou Palace Square of the Palace Museum, on May 16, 2013.

AAC 2012 initially completed six annual forums in Beijing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chongqing and etc., which is the first time for the art world to discuss artistic creations and ecology, inviting a variety of experts from different categories of art, to catalogue and comb through the art trends throughout the year, reviewing and reflecting the hot issues in the art world. Pi Daojian, who presided over the forum of “Ink and Wash” selection in Guangzhou, puts forward some topics, among of which ink and wash “is hot” in 2012 was the main topic for the guests to discuss, Liu Xiaochun believes that ink and wash painting was not “hot” in fact, instead, the promotion and dissemination from the market were “hot”, Yin Shuangxi said he didn’t like the market-oriented word “hot”, he believes that when there is “hot”, there isn’t “hot”, he hopes that Chinese ink and wash continues to develop. At the same time, there are exhibitions on tour, which are themed “Leading Contemporary: AAC Invitational Exhibition of the Award-winner of the Annual Influential Artist”, curated by Jia Fangzhou, the rotating president for the year, displaying the combination of literature, images and work, collectively embodying the achievements of the previous six years, which not only witnesses the progress of contemporary art, but also demonstrates that AAC has been an important platform to promote Chinese art, and continues to track the development of contemporary art in the future.

Academic principles have always been highly upheld by AAC, along with the forums in different places there are different preliminary selections before the awards are announced, based on the previous selection criteria, AAC 2012 has some optimization. 45 outstanding critics, artists, experts and scholars, including Fang Fang, Chairman of the Hubei Writers’ Association, Ou Ning, a cultural scholar, and Yu Hong, Liu Ye, and Cui Xiuwen, three representative artists and Huang Du, a famous curator, are invited to be the judges of the preliminary selection. In addition, Karen Smith, British Art Historian, Wu Hung, a well-known local art historian and a professor of the University of Chicago, and Pi Daojian, a professor of the Department of Fine Art, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, are invited to be the judges of the final selection, which expands the international vision on the professional selection.

The 7th Award of Art China?Selections of the Annual Influential Artists 2012

Finalists of the Preliminary Selection of the Awards (nine categories)

Finalists of Sculpture group

Dai Yun, Chen Wenling, Liu Jianhua, Yu Fan, Jiang Jie, Fu Zhongwang, Li Xiangqun, Cao Hui, Jiao Xingtao, Zeng Chenggang

Finalists of Publication group

“From Duchamp to Pollock” by Wang Ruiyun

“Book from the Ground: from Point to Point” by Xu Bing

“Tongzhougongji/Help Each Other” by Cao Xingyuan

“Stance: Zou Yuejin’s anthology of Art Theory and Criticism” by Zou Yuejin

“20th Century Chronology of Chinese Art”, by Shui Zhongtian

“Transmutation of Unusual Objects”, by Danto, translated by Chen An-ying

“The Story of Ruin” by Wu Hung (US), translated by Xiao Yi

“Art Museum as Knowledge Production” by Wang Huangsheng

“The Painter’s Practice” by James Cahill, translated by Yang Xianzong / Ma Lin / Deng Weiquan

“Art Museum” by Phaidon Press (UK), translated by Wang Yanfei and etc.

Finalists of Exhibition group

First CAFAM Future Exhibition: Sub-Phenomena - Report on the States of Chinese Young Artists

“Diamond Leaves: Brilliant Artist Books from around the World”

“Reactivation” The 9th Shanghai Biennale 2012

“Collection of Langhammer” American Selected Collections of the paintings and calligraphies from Chinese Five Dynasties, Song and Yuan Dynasties

Wu School: Special Exhibition of Shen Zhou

Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Solo Exhibition

“The Disappeared Techniques” Jean Baudrillard’s Photography Exhibition

Tony Cragg’s Exhibition of Sculpture and Painting

“The Unseen” the Theme Exhibition of the 4th Guangzhou Triennial

Thing In Itself: Utopia, Pop and Personal Theology - Wang Guangyi Retrospective Exhibition

Finalists of Ink and Wash group

Chao Hai, Jia Youfu, Li Jin, Liu Yiyuan, Shao Yan, Sang Huorao, Jiang Ji-an, Tian Liming, Shen Qin, Shen Ai-qi

Finalists of Young Artists group

Leng Guangmin, Ma Qiusha, Ye Pu-na, Yan Xing, Luo Dan, Tao Fa, Chen Youtong, Zhang Xiangxi, Yang Xinguang, Xing Xin

Finalists of Installation and Multimedia group

Cai Guoqiang, Fu Zhongwang, Wang Guangyi, Wang Jianwei, Wang Mai, Xu Bing, Yang Fudong, Yin Xiuzhen, Wei Guangqing, Yang Guoxin

Finalist of Oil Painting group

Liu Xiaodong, Zhang Xiaogang, Zhang Enli, Mao Yan, Xu Jiang, Wang Guangle, Li Songsong, Qiu Xiaofei, Shao Fan, Ma Shuqing

The preliminary selection of the photography group and calligraphy group will be announced soon.

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