On July 1, 2017, taking the “New Face of the Academy” – CAFA Young Artists Academic Invitation Exhibition and Collection Exhibition as the first show, 2017 Lecong Arts & Culture Season officially started at the Guangdong Louvre Exhibition Hall of Lecong Town, Shunde District, Foshan City, Guangdong Province. It is jointly hosted by the Lecong Township Government, Shunde District and CAFA and organized by CAFA Art Museum, Louvre Group in Guangdong and the School of Urban Design, CAFA.

From July to October, Lecong Town, Shunde District together with CAFA are jointly organizing a four-month “International Innovation Design Town 2017 Lecong Arts & Culture Season” event which is aimed at the introduction of innovative design resources from the universities and colleges, to enhance the urban image in the form of art, using design to promote industrial development.

At the opening ceremony, Wang Zhong, Dean of the School of Urban Design, CAFA, doctoral tutor, Lie Haijian, Director of Standing Committee of People's Congress of Shunde District, Chen Haobin, Director of Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, Deputy Secretary of the district, and the Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee of the district, Dr. Tang Bin, a master’s tutor of the Institute of Arts Administration and Education at CAFA and the curator of the show, Zhang Huanrong, Executive Secretary of Furnishings Art Committee of the China Interior Decoration Association, Cao Zhuqing, Deputy Researcher of the Administration for Culture, Radio and News of Foshan City, Zhang Xinjie, Party Secretary of Lecong Town, Li Jinghua, Chairman of Louvre Group, Wang Yun, Deputy General Manager of Foshan Meisixuegu Commercial Management Co., Ltd., as well as representatives of the artists from CAFA, including Shen Hongbiao, Tang Yin, Yang Cheng and Lin Xiaochu, as the honored guests attended the event.

Zhang Xinjie, Party Secretary of Lecong Town addressed the opening ceremony and said that, this arts & culture season was the beginning for Lecong to build an international innovative design town, and a landmark event for the development of Lecong. Wang Zhong, Dean of the School of Urban Design, CAFA delivered a speech and said that, culture and arts were the real core for a city or a region to shape its own feature. Dr. Tang Bin introduced the exhibition of “New Face of the Academy” which is aimed at presenting the “new face of the academy” formed in the creation that integrates with the national social situations, colorful lives of people and the imaginary of artistic ontology language of the young artists from the academy, with CAFA’s motto of “Do one’s utmost in the subtle detail and apply oneself to the masses” in the process of current social development.

“New Face of the Academy” – CAFA Young Artists Academic Invitation Exhibition and Collection Exhibition, whose predecessor was the noted academic brand of “A Long Journey”, depends on the real conditions of the exhibition space of the Louvre Exhibition Hall to select previous outstanding works by the graduates and the representative works of the young teachers from CAFA, to form an academic exhibition with two parts, featuring a total of 154 works by 64 artists. Considering the artistry and diversity of the theme and face, it also selects the latest appearances and achievements that reflect the social development and peoples’ lives, as well as the field of creation and research of the artistic ontology language, satisfying the public aesthetic needs, guiding and improving public aesthetic ability.

“New Face of the Academy” – CAFA Young Artists Academic Invitation Exhibition and Collection Exhibition is the first event of 2017 Lecong Arts & Culture Season, striving to bring the best art content and the freshest design concept to the people from Lecong. It is certain that this event brings a new cultural and artistic idea, guiding the culture and arts into people’s lives, and truly bringing the most cutting-edge innovative resources to local traditional enterprises.

Photo and text courtesy of the organizer

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