Contemporary Chinese art: Still an exploration

Self-reliance, by Wei Yuncheng. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"As the G20 Summit's one keyword is 'inclusiveness', the exhibition also wants to convey a message of inclusiveness and crossings in Chinese contemporary art," said Wei Yuncheng, director of the No.2 Public Art Research Institute of Beijing University of Technology, at the opening ceremony of an art exhibition.

The exhibition, "From Nature to Mind: Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition", features about 75 contemporary Chinese artists' works, covering ink paintings, wood engravings, crystal sculptures and oil paintings.

Some were very traditional Chinese ink paintings, and some were inspired by new media and broke conventions and rules.

The inspiration and imaginations of contemporary Chinese artists were not bounded to the field of water and ink, but took the form of oil paintings and sculptures.

At the exhibition, a trio of displays, "Spirit of the Academy", "Extension of Water and Ink" and "Contemporary Exploration", respectively features works with different styles.

"What is 'spirit of academy'? In fact, in the early 20th century, China had a series of such 'spirits', including 'spirit of Suzhou School of Fine Arts' and 'spirit of Tsinghua University'. Yet the contemporary spirit of academy still needs to be proved by more artworks and study," Wei said.

Works showed in the "Spirit of Academy" section reflect the innovation of art schools in their teaching, by introducing new methods of expression.

As to the definition of "contemporary", Wei said the year 1979, 1989 and 2000 were milestones in the formation of Chinese contemporary art.

"We want to express the core of contemporary art in China," said Wei.

New annotations to Chinese classics were another feature of contemporary art in China.

Among the showpieces, Zhang Guolong's Floating Clouds and Zhi Min's He Tu Luo Shu are artistic interpretations of traditional Chinese philosophy and mythology.

The exhibition will run from September 3 to 18 at the Today Art Museum in Beijing.

If you go:

10:00-18:00, Today Art Museum, No. 32 Apple Community, Road Baiziwan, Chaoyang District, Beijing.