2015 CAFA Graduate Student Exhibition -- The Start of a Long Journey

Adapted from the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Zi's famous saying "the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step", the title of CAFA's graduating exhibition "The Start of a Long Journey" in essence coincides with the western idea of "commencement" for college graduates. Mind you, 146 works of this particular show are hand-picked from a large pool of more than 3,000 works of CAFA graduates. The mark of "excellence" here may simply be intended for viewers' convenience of judgment.

Among the works that are recognizable both from the Chinese art tradition and with more or less contemporary sense, Xie Dingquan's line drawing titled "The Other Shore/Side" excelled. Xie's work echoes the famous Chinese scroll "Eighty-Seven Fairy Volume", which is among the collections of modern Chinese artist and art educator Xu Beihong (1895-1953). He acquired the then-anonymous volume and personally appraised it as an authentic work by the legendary Wu Daozi. Wu is seen, especially in the Chinese mass culture, the greatest portrait painter in China’s ancient history.

Xie Dingquan, The Other ShoreSide (details), 2015, ink on rice paper, 30 x 292cm.

It is interesting to note that Xie is tutored by Xu Bin, who himself is among the top contemporary artists. Xu's student Geng Xue, with her transmedia work "Mr. Sea", was widely applauded during last year's graduating exhibition. Again, we are reminded that, works esthetically Chinese can be conceptually intriguing too in a contemporary context. What is relevant here is how the artist would put together all the elements. But in terms of an artist’s career path, how can such a model survive in the longer term? We don't know. Perhaps as long as the self-acclaimed successors of the Chinese art tradition continue to dominate the mass culture and public resources, such a counter-trend strategy will work. An interesting fact here is that both Xie and Geng as students study the same subject, oddly named "Possibility Study on Expansion and Extension of Print Language". Obviously, neither Xie's line drawing nor Geng's ceramic works with motion pictures can be related to print language.

For those who come to CAFA’s museum looking for some evidence of craftsmanship, they will unlikely be disappointed. Such works by Wang Ximin and Zhang Leifu show superb executions under familiar subject matters. Anyone standing in front of their fine works would appreciate the efforts made by the school to preserve our legacies. This said, viewers of Zhang's portraits would still find many nuanced details, color, composition and the play of light and shadows to name a few, that point to our present tense in a strongly emotional way.

Wang Ximin, Disaster Brought to the Fish in the Moat, 2015, mineral pigments on paper, size unknown.

Zhang Leifu, Portrait, 2015, oil on wood, 30 x 30cm.

Another example of China's academic tradition is shown in the gallery-size drawings by Kong Lingxin. Kong plays with the defining line between representational and non-representational forms. The muted color of black, white and different shades of greys combine to create an atmosphere of timelessness and tranquility. With the title "Those That Have Already Gone and Those That Are Yet to Come", it seems Kong also intends to trick viewers with dramatic suspension beyond the visual language of geometric harmony.

Kong Lingxin, Those That Have Already Gone and Those That Are Yet to Come, 2015, pencil on paper, 120 x 120cm.

Kong Lingxin, Those That Have Already Gone and Those That Are Yet to Come, 2015, pencil on paper, 120 x 120cm.

Also noted are installation and multimedia works. The room interior covered by wax, titled "The Memories That Cannot Be Molded," revokes nostalgic emotions with a feeling of traversing back to the irreversible past as an impassive on-looker. The use of wax as a dominant medium, however, looks familiar and reminds viewers of Joseph Beuys and his well-known fat chair. The installation is created by Li Jinghui. Last to mention is Huang Qicai's multimedia work titled “Stroll.” Huang personally collects deserted bodies of birds and small animals on highways, and uses their skeletons to make animated pictures showing they are lively strolling around again. It seems that these victims of road traffic have gained a second life, only in a more dignified way. The frames and bones are also arranged on spot as if to remind ourselves of carelessness and indifference to other living beings.

Li Jinghui, The Memories That Cannot Be Molded, 2015, installation, dimensions variable.

Li Jinghui, The Memories That Cannot Be Molded, 2015, installation, dimensions variable.

Huang Qicai, Stroll, 2015, installation and video.

Information about the exhibition can be found here:
http://www.artslant.com/cn/events/show/388072-the-long-journey-of-star-2015-cafa-excellent-graduation-works-exhibition