Boundless Thinking 2014 Exhibition for Art Students

“Thoughts of a thinker and footprints of a traveler can cross any border，”was written in Yanzi’s Spring and Autumn Annals， an ancient Chinese classic. Accordingly， “boundless thinking” serves as the theme of 2014 Exhibition for Nominated Students from Art Academies. Contemporary Chinese art seems to have broken through awkward marginalization to become en vogue in the international auction market. However， along with the changing environment， contemporary Chinese artists， especially the younger ones， should be careful which attitudes define their creativity.

“The ‘boundless thinking’ theme is intended to inspire young artists to break past ‘invisible characteristics’ projected by Western ideology and develop their creativity individually，” remarks Gao Peng， curator of Today Art Museum and sponsor of the exhibition. “Young artists should not cater to the mass market and popular standards， but look to their souls for constant retrospection on their own unique experiences and new artistic visions， as well as perceptive models and value models.”

In 2006， Today Art Museum launched the “exhibition for nominated students”program and set up China’s first artistic award for college students from a private， non-profit museum. Held annually， the exhibition features authoritative academic voices， a fair and transparent evaluation mechanism and growing recognition from artistic circles. The ninth exhibition， this year’s event attracted about 6，000 submissions from over 5，000 students from a hundred art academies. And 190 works were nominated including 35 Chinese paintings， 46 oil paintings， 14 prints， 51 photography and video works， 27 installations and sculptures and some other art forms. Since July 18， nominated works have been on display for jurists to examine. Many big names of Chinese contemporary art were invited to serve on the jury， such as Leng Jun， Yue Minjun， Jiang Hongwei and Hang Chunxiao. Awards consist of one special prize， three golden prizes， six silver prizes， 12 bronze prizes， several honorary mentions and one excellent curatorial team.

“I have been a jury member since the first exhibition，” reveals Shang Yang. “I can say I’ve witnessed real progress in submissions to this exhibition. Some say genetic gifts are important for an artist， but I think perseverance is just as important. Be loyal to your artistic ambitions and the voice of your heart.” He believes young artists should form their own ideas， “Only when your works are born of your own thoughts can they move others and create resonance.”

The special prize was awarded to a Chinese ink and wash painting by Zhu Jian. “Heavy demand for Chinese contemporary art in the international market could cause some artists to intentionally cater to Western taste，” opines Maxwell Hearn， director of Chinese art in the Asian Art Department of Metropolitan Museum of Art. “The market is based in the West， and ‘chosen’ Chinese artists are beginning to consider their own brands.” Chinese ink and wash painting， once forgotten by the market， has become the go-to brand of some young Chinese artists.

Thanks to the recent rise of Chinese ink and wash， this year， many candidates submitted such works. “In the past few years， it was hard to find a Chinese paint- ing，” remarks Xu Lei， art director of the exhibition， commenting on Zhu’s work.“But this year， we found more young artists doing Chinese painting. It’s great. So we even set up a special category for Chinese painting. As a very mature form， it’s difficult to innovate with Chinese ink and wash painting. And it’s also difficult to stick to and identify national culture and arts.”

According to Gao Peng， compared to past events， this year’s exhibition better represents students’ perceptions of their inner hearts and society， which was the goal of the project. “Although even some gold prize-winning work may not be commercial in the short term， young artists who work honestly will surely find platforms to display their ideas.”