Independently organized by the Art Museum of the Nanjing University of the Arts, “Time·Zone – Creation and Exploration of Contemporary Young College Teachers” officially opened on November 23, 2013. It showcases more than 60 works by 28 representatives of the young artists from different regions and colleges across the nation. Categories of the works include painting, sculpture, installation, performance, video, photography, etc., showing conversations between various art categories on the surface, they virtually vocalize together, with diverse artistic concepts in a broad dimension of space and time.

Cui Xiong, Vice President of Nanjing University of the Arts initially gave a speech in the press conference of the exhibition. Curator Zheng Wen said the exhibition focused on academic research, collectively showcasing the initial results of the investigation and also showing the educational system. He believed that college teachers had a more diverse identity compared with professional artists, because they should have a spiritual influence on the students while they were working on creation, they fully reflected their validity and the specifics of transmission. He affirmed that the 28 artists were thorough in their personal efforts and independent spirits perfectly interpreted the unique, prospective and experimental artistic spirit. After that Qian Xiaozheng, Director of KEYI Art Museum, as the co-organizer of the exhibition gave a speech.

As the representative of artists, Wu Jian’an reaffirmed the significance of the exhibition in his speech. Meanwhile he put forward several important dilemmas for current young teachers: firstly, in the information era, art academy teachers gradually lost their authority with resources; secondly, art colleges and academies expanded enrolment so that the self-superiority of teachers declined; thirdly art academies were conservative schools that were distant from the forefront of artistic ideas. But he said: “Because domestic art academies have caught up with some top art colleges in thinking and hardware, we should constantly create new artistic directions.

Li Xiaoshan, Director of Art Museum of Nanjing University of the Arts eventually spoke: “Time·Zone – Creation and Exploration of Contemporary Young College Teachers exhibition is one of the representatives of independent curatorial capability of the Art Museum of the Nanjing University of the Arts". After the end of the press conference, Li Xiaoshan, Zheng Wen and the 23 artists present guided the media and audience to visit the exhibition.

The exhibition is divided into four sections, including “Inertia Transformation”, “Questioning with Form”, “Personal Feeling of the Media”, and “Intellectual Bridge”.

I “Inertia Transformation” (Ao Guoxing, Luo Dan, Pei Li, Shen Chaofang, Tao Damin, Xiong Lijun, Wang Yinyin)

The section discusses how artists deal with inherent individual visual and psychological experiences when they are facing “time difference”.

II “Questioning with Form” (Chen Xianhui, Li Qing, Liang Haopeng, Han Jianyu, Wu Junyong, Qin Jin, Jin Shan)

The artists present in this section, are starting from the breakthrough of the language of form, attempting to reveal and criticize the current reality, to convey their awareness of issues on social mechanism and the art system.

III “Personal Feeling of Media” (Gao Hao, He Ling, Kang Haitao, Song Zhen, Yan Yingxi, Wang Yuyang, Zhou Xianfeng)

This section proposes how to create a multi-sensory, multi-level dialogue mechanism, to build an expressive way that is the “Man who drinks water knows whether it is cold or warm”, in various mediums, especially in traditional mediums.

IV “Intellectual Bridge” (Cong Wei, Feng Qie, He Libin, Wu Jian’an, Wang Chao, Wu Chao, Zhang Yue)

In the exhibition design of the section, we call for an artistic practice that is filled with spirituality.

The project is named “Time ? Zone”, which is to inspire an “unrestrained” and “self” attitude in the occurrence stage of artistic creation. It is advocating pluralism, refusal of centrism, interdisciplinary, beyond the dispute of doctrines, beyondo technical thinking. The exhibition will continue until December 23.

About the exhibition

Organizer: Art Museum of Nanjing University of the Arts

Title: Time·Zone – Creation and Exploration of Contemporary Young College Teachers

Artistic Director: Li Xiaoshan

Curator: Zheng Wen

Academic Committee: Li Xiaoshan, Liu Weidong, Li Xianting, Wang Huangsheng, Qiu Zhijie, Yang Jinsong, Karen Smith, Peng De, Le Zhengwei, Luo Zhongli, Deng Jianjin, Lu Shengzhong, Liu Xuguang, Li Feng, Li Xiaoqian,

Artists: Ao Guoxing, Luo Dan, Pei Li, Shen Chaofang, Tao Damin, Xiong Lijun, Wang Yinyin, Chen Xianhui, Li Qing, Liang Haopeng, Han Jianyu, Wu Junyong, Qin Jin, Jin Shan, Gao Hao, He Ling, Kang Haitao, Song Zhen, Yan Yingxi, Wang Yuyang, Zhou Xianfeng, Cong Wei, Feng Qie, He Libin, Wu Jian’an, Wang Chao, Wu Chao, Zhang Yue

Duration: November 23 – December 23, 2013

Press Conference: at 15:00, on November 23, 2013

Venue: Hall 3 of the Art Museum of Nanjing University of the Arts

Courtesy of the artists and the Art Museum of Nanjing University of the Arts, translated by Chen Peihua and edited by Sue/CAFA ART INFO.