At 7:00 pm on November 27, 2014, the awarding ceremony of the 5th1912 New Star Festival was unveiled in the banquet room of Hotel MoMc at Beijing MOMA with a lithe and graceful modern dance. Founded in 2010, the New Star Festival was the first Chinese audition platform open to young artists across the country, but it is the first time for it to beheld in Beijing. Famous host Zhang Shaogang presided over the award ceremony, the well-known artist Ye Yongqing wrote a preface entitled “Do Not Just Live in the Stolen Air” for the festival. Honoured guests including IDG Global Executive Vice President and Founding Partner Xiong Xiaoge, Chen Jun, the 8th Chairman of China Urban Reality Association, Guan Yu, General Manager of Artron.net, Dai Dawei, Chairman of Tiant Group, Founder of Tiant Art Museum, Hu Huanzhong, Vice Chairman of the board of the National Base for International Cultural Trade, Managing Director of Shanghai Free Trade Zone International Cultural Investment Development Co., Ltd., Yang Hongjun, Deputy Director of Jiangsu IVI Digital Film Cultural Development Co., Ltd, the famous artist Wang Xiaohui who lives in Germany, American artist Gleen Goldgerg, Yu Jian, General Manager of Weide Art port, etc., together with the final judges of the 5th New Star Festival, awarded the 7 prizes to this year’s winners.

Since the press conference on the 5th 1912 New Star Festival was held in Shanghai on June 20, 1912, following a three-monthrecruitment process, the young artists enthusiastically echoed their support and more than 1400 artists registered. Compared with previous years, the works clearly reflect the art practice by young artists, works in video and new media are increasing. At the same time, the young artists born in 1980s and the 1990s begin to wholly present their view of the world and thinking in line with their life experiences and characteristics of the times. Seen from the perspective of the technological methods and expressive content of the art works, it reveals the characteristics of the present rich information and the local culture blended with world culture.

The final judges of the 5th New Star Festival include Gerald Pryor, (Professor of the Department of Art, New York University), Gu Zheng, He Duoling, He Guiyan, Mao Yan, Shu Kewen and Zhan Wang. In addition to invite famous domestic artists and critics, it invites international artists and curators to participate in the jury, in order to strengthen the promotion of multi perspectives of the selection and conceptual diversification.

The 5th Star Festival eventually awarded 7 prizes. Wang Miao won the “Public Prize” selected by online voting, while her work “Illusion” was the champion with 53846 votes. The video work “Zodiac” by Tang Di won the “Experimental Newcomer Award”. Zhang Zhaoying, Zhang Jing, Ma Lijiao and Zhen Yalei respectively won the “Newcomer Awards”, while Zhang Han, Liu Yazhou, Zhenghai Yilong share the most popular “Art-Trend” prize together. It is a surprising result diverted from repeated discussion and careful selection by the final judges. The three artists share a prize and bear the weight of the prize together, although their works are admitted by the judges they cannot independently win the prize by his/ her power.It is a very confused but honest selection, not only praising their works but also giving them an expectation and requirementfor the future. Finally, New Star Festival lifelong judge artist He Duoling was awarded the “So Young” prize by the organizing committee, in recognition of his effort in supporting young artists.

When American artist Gleen Goldgerg awarded the “Experimental Newcomer Award” to Tang Di, he said: he was surprised by the strong vitality of young Chinese artists! Winner of “Experimental Newcomer Award” Tang Di said: compared with most of the participating artists who graduated from art academies, he dropped out of school after graduating from the high school, he had been engaged in writing and hoped to create a good work. Winner of “Newcomer Award” Zhang Zhaoying said: he had studied 9 years of opera when he was a child, but he eventually failed so through the work themed on theatre he was able to express his discontent. Winner of the “Newcomer Award” Ma Lijiao explained his work which originated from his own experience, he once had three girlfriends and finally became gay and broke up with him, so he finished the work. The judge Gerald Pryor thought his work was real, although the topic of a gay lifestyle was still a taboo in China. When the judge Shu Yawen awarded the “Newcomer Award” to Zhen Yalei, she praised his work and said that, today’s academy was a double-edged sword, teaching students technology while it also limited their artistic thought, and even might kidnap art.The artist studiously avoided technology, and people would be more easily moved by recovering from the original simplicity. Winner of the “Newcomer Award” Zhang Jing simply said his work was nothing but a way to paint Western classical oil painting in his mind, while the judge He Duoling said he had drawn well.

In addition, the New Star Festival set up two thematic forms, “The Chinese Youth Art Creation and the Development of International Contemporary Art”, “The Development of New Media in Contemporary Art”, invited guests Xia Jifeng, Fu Xiaodong, American artist Gleen Goldgerg, Hai Jie, Chen Qiulin, Gerald Pryor as the guests of the forums, so that the international artistic thinking and contemporary trend led by New York offered a communication process with the key promoters of Chinese contemporary art, offering the young artists an opportunity to learn and communicate.

As in previous years, 1912 Group is the commercial sponsor that supports the New Star Festival, a public welfare art activity aimed at building a platform for young artists. In addition, the New Star Festival has a new strategic partner that is IVI MOVIE 1895, which won the“China Excellent Experiential Innovative Cinemas Award” and “The Most Valuable Cultural Enterprise in Nanjing”.

On the night before the award ceremony (November 26), the VIP preview of the festival was held at Today Art Museum. The exhibition continues to December 3.

About the exhibition

Venue: 3rd, 4th floor of Building 1, Today Art Museum, Beijing

Duration: 19:00-22:00 on November 26 VIP preview

November 27 - December 3 Open to the public

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

Photo by Yang Yanyuan/CAFA ART INFO