On September 28, 2015, hosted by the Rhythm Art Organization, organized by Dayuntang Art Museum, “Pursuit of Excellence: Artists from Academies – Nationwide Touring Exhibition of Print” opened at Dayuntang Art Museum in Beijing, it is an academic exhibition bringing together the young and middle-aged artists working in printmaking from the academies across the country. It has academic support from the School of Fine Arts, CAFA, art theorist Prof. Shao Dazhen from CAFA serves as the Academic Chair, Su Xinping, Vice President of CAFA is the curator of the exhibition, showcasing the works by more than 20 artists using print including Tan Ping, Su Xinping, Wang Huaxiang, Zhou Jirong, Yang Feng, Zhang Guanghui, Kong Guoqiao, Kang Jianfei, etc.

The exhibition is supported and highlighted by all academies across the country, Prof. Shao Dazhen from CAFA, the Academic Chair of the exhibition, Su Xinping, Vice President of CAFA, the curator of the exhibition, Yin Shuangxi, Professor of CAFA, Director of Editorial of CAFA, Shao Yiyang, Professor of CAFA, Deputy Dean of the School of Humanities, CAFA, Cao Qinghui, Deputy Director of the library of CAFA, Yu Yang, Director of the Department of Theoretical Research at the School of Chinese Painting, CAFA, Liu Libin, Associate Research Fellow of the Institute of Fine Arts, CAFA, Prof. Zhang Gan, Deputy Dean of the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, Zhou Aimin, Deputy Director of the Department of Painting, the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, Xu Baozhong, Director of the Department of Printmaking at Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts, Yang Feng, Director of the Department of Printmaking at Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts, Guo Jianwen, Director of the Department of Printmaking at Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts, Li Chuan, Director of the Department of Printmaking at Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Sheng Wei, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of “Fine Arts” magazine and a critic, as well as Cai Wanlin, Art Director of the Rhythm Art Organization, and other honored guests attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition.

Academic Chair Shao Dazhen addressed the opening ceremony of the exhibition that offered a comparison to oil painting and traditional Chinese painting, print seemed to be on the edge of art within the social category, but the exhibition focused on the young and middle-aged representative artists from printmaking within the academies. He thanked the Rhythm Art Organization that made active efforts in the propagation of contemporary print, based on this it would hold a national exhibition of print, to promote the advancement of the art of print. When it came to the selection criteria, the curator Su Xinping said that the technical difficulty, uniqueness, and percentage of the completed works were the main standards of consideration, and it was also the print expectation of the times. The exhibition also highlighted the young artists who were the speculative generation in Chinese contemporary print, and he hoped that, with the help of the platform it could promote the prints from the youthful artists to society, so that the public would know more about their works. Su Xinping also said that print had experienced some detours in the process of development, such as interference from the market. While this exhibition removed social factors and commercial considerations in the process of planning, it was also more academic, leading and made print become art in itself, which was also another meaning of the “Pursuit of Excellence.”

After the end of the opening ceremony, Shao Dazhen hosted a seminar, bringing together many art critics and participating artists to fully discuss the problems such as the research of specific properties of print, the creative direction and humanistic spirit of print, to collectively discuss the current situation and future of print in the new era.

The exhibition continues to October 14.

Text and photo by Zhang Wenzhi/CAFA ART INFO

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

About the exhibition

Academic Support: School of Fine Arts, CAFA

Host: The Rhythm Art Organization

Organizer: Dayuntang Art Museum

Academic Chair: Shao Dazhen

Curator: Su Xinping

The Organizing Committee of the Exhibition: Wang Huaxiang, Kang Jianfei, Cai Wanlin

Project Implementations: Huang Yang, Zhang Zhandi

Duration: September 28 - October 14, 2015

Venue: Dayuntang Art Museum (F2, Block A, Fairmont Tower, No.33 Guangshun North Main Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing)

The Participating Artists: Su Xinping, Tan Ping, Yang Feng, Zhang Guanghui, Wang Huaxiang, Zhou Jirong, Xu Baozhong, Guo Jianwen, Kong Guoqiao, Yang Hongwei, Wu Hong, Kang Jianfei, Li Kang, Wei Jia, Huang Yang, Zhang Zhandi, Kong Liang, Shi Bowen, Zhang Hui, Cai Yuanhe, Li Jun, Wang Xiao, Wang Qifan, Li Yaping