On March 7, 2015, at the dawn of International Women’s Day, Yanhuang Art Museum launched the 3rd “Sweetness and Elegance –Young Female Artists Exhibition”, themed on “female art and artists”, through the works by the young female artists they were able to showcase the artistic styles created by female artists from different perspectives, grounded on the recommendation of a variety of art institutions, well-known curators, and scholars, 17 painters are selected to participate in the exhibition.

The young female artist themed exhibition “Sweetness and Elegance” has been held for three years since 2013, with long-term tracking of their creations, observing the changes of the themes and techniques, it opens a new perspective forart circles to observe the creation of the group and explore a new context,which is the main reason why the exhibition is so successively. Cui Xiaodong, Director of Yanhuang Art Museum addressed the opening ceremony, and he said Yanhuang Art Museum is a charity art institution, adhering tothe close cooperation and interaction between the organization and artists, between the art and the public,and also hoping for more young artists who have pursuits, passions and dreams involved in and jointly promoting the activity.

In Chinese art history and contemporary art discourse system, the female artistis a cultural group that is absent in their rightful position. Wu Hongliang, Director of the Art museum of Beijing Fine Art Academy called the female artists absenteeism, so he praised Yanhuang Art Museum that takes “the female art and artists” as a theme to continue launching the “Sweetness and Elegance” exhibition. When thinking of female art creations in an overall context of art and cultural development, Wu Hongliang also borrows the word“personal feeling of gratitude and resentment” from a current documentary about the haze in China by an investigative reporter, the female artists’ creation is often labeled as “the emotional” and “the irrational”, while the related research also often falls into the logical framework of “feminism”. When we view the creation from the “other’s” perspective, we not only see the rich and colorful as a whole creative attitude, but also brings self creation more inspiration.

Most of the female artists who participate in the exhibition are the new generation of creators, born in the 1970s and the 1980s, they have accepted the rigorous academy art education, and integrated their delicate and gentle emotional expression into the creations so “Sweetness and Elegance” is a perfect description of the creative style. Looking at the participating works, some are splash-ink renderings,some are meticulous paintings, instead of the previous expected gentle and pure images. Some of them take children’s dreams, youth or self-reflection as themes; or use a neutral and calm observation instead of logical thinking; or illustrate the yearning for the family and love, to showcase enthusiasm and vigor when they are in the image of art, the young temperament daring to perform and try new things, and we can also see the acute and tenacity, the soft and persistence in their mind from the picture.

The exhibition will continue to March 29. During the exhibition, the organizers will also offer several public educational activities for a platform of dialogue between the artists and art lovers, organizing the young artists from Beijing Dance Academy, Minzu University of China, Central Conservatory of Music, etc., to cooperate with the artists participating in the show for a collaborative creation and performance, starting from their respective fields, through a variety of art forms to interpret the theme of female art again.

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

About the Exhibition

The 3rd “Sweetness and Elegance – Young Female Artists Exhibition”

Host: YanhuangArt Museum

Opening: at 15:00 on March 7, 2015

Duration: March 8 - March 29, 2015

Venue: the ground floor and floor 2, YanhuangArt Museum (No.9 Huizhong Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing)

Artists ( in alphabetical order by last name): Cai Hanyue, Cheng Rui, Cheng Xu, Jiao Yang, Jinze Youna, Kang Chunhui, Kong Yan, Li Hanzhen, Li Luyu, Li Xi, Li Yanmei, Mei Wanting, Tang Ning, Tongxi Xiaochan, Wu Shu, Zhu Ling, Zhao Lina