“From Ignorance to Ignorance – Group Exhibition of Six Postgraduates from the Department of Oil Painting” brings together the works by six postgraduates from the Department of Oil Painting, CAFA. The exhibition selects six postgraduates born in post-1985 with a background in studying in the academy, their artistic creative images, style and language obviously reveal features of the contemporary.

These young artists have different life feelings, learning backgrounds, cultural consciousness, thinking trends, artistic feelings and creative techniques, but they are learning to develop rich and colorful artworks based on constant exploration starting from a common point of view, with the background of a common era. All the participating works are representative of what has been created in the last year by the young artists, covering all subjects such as natural scenery, figure sketches, ethnic customs, depiction of animals, revealing the feeling of reality from a vision to psychology. Their works are the reflection of real life, although it reflects a high degree of difference in artistic form. Although they are not a grand narrative, large-scale, big-subject works, they are full of creativity in the exploration of oil painting language and the expression of thought and emotion, widely representing young Chinese artists.

Following the arrival of the new century, more and more the new generation of young artists in the academies prominently show up, under the condition that the current art information, material, medium is richer than the previous one, the young artists have a more open thought and more diverse techniques, creativity is becoming stronger and stronger, this has become a vital force in the development of contemporary Chinese oil painting. However, the development of oil painting still faces a huge challenge in the new times. How to maintain a position with contemporary art? What is the future development of oil painting? How to explore a new way for the development of oil painting? It is necessary for the young artists to seriously think about this, and it is also necessary for the artists from all over the world to come together to solve it, only dealing with these issues, the challenge could be transformed into an opportunity, continuously promoting the development of oil painting.

The young postgraduates artists in Chinese academies vigorously develop, artists of talent emerge one after the other, and they accept strict and professional technical training, knowledge of the developing history of art and oil painting, with excellent skills in oil painting, and a considerable theoretical base, and they are especially full of enthusiasm and ideals in oil painting, which is necessary for the promotion of the development of oil painting.

The exhibition selects the young artists with a background of studying in the academy for the interpretation, foresight of the future artistic development of the cases, to highlight the role that the academy plays in the development of contemporary art and its position, which is apparently its significance. It is certain that they have the same experience with most of the artists, located in periods of chaos, exploration and refinement for artistic value, artistic conception, artistic language, and technique control. So it naturally makes the exploration of work in the current stage show a different trend.

It can’t be denied that, in the cognitive process of exploration, drifting from the previous creation on the basis of life emotions and experiences to the intelligent exploration, it is inevitably that there are many educated issues and confusions in oil painting, but in the process of constantly asking why, moving towards another ignorance from an ignorance. If it appears like a swinging, confusion or mutation of the language of painting in a seemingly “ignorant cycle” and “fearless ignorant man”, it is only a temporary drifting of value, and for themselves perhaps it is a clear, firm and fascinating visual country rising before their eyes.

About the exhibition

Academic Director: Xie Dongming

Manager of the Exhibition: Cao Yi

Curator: Gao Xiangheng

Host: Department of Oil Painting, CAFA

Media Support: CAFA ART INFO

Opening Reception: at 11:00 on September 22, 2014 (Monday)

Duration: September 22 - September 30, 2014

Venue: Main building gallery of building 5 in CAFA (floor 2)

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