“The Power of Academy” 

Artists: Wang Yigang, Liu Qinghe, Tang Zhiyi, Zhang Zhijian, Chen Shuxia, Wu Mingzhong, Fan  Bo, Gu Liming  

2019/03/02-03/31 

Soka Art, Beijing  

Any kind of local art language is the regeneration of western modern art discourse and local discourse - not  simply the addition result, but the fusion after integration. The achievements of the development of Chinese  modern and contemporary art are first reflected in the rise of modern art education. If there is no academy  established in the “art revolution” to promote and spread western painting in China, it is difficult to imagine  what contemporary art looks like in China. Those 8 artists are exactly at this special position, which not only  continues the spread of modern aesthetic education in academies, but also breaks through the process of  exploring contemporary art in the local context. 

 An artist's expression is always based on the insight and experience of the current society. Chen Shuxia puts  ordinary things as artistic subjects, liberating them from human desires, and at the same time makes viewers  become free aesthetic subjects, paying attention to their inner life experience from a distance; Fan Bo  reincorporates braille, an absolute touch or an object that is meaningless except for the sense of touch, into  the visual system, trying to break the seal of the sensory system; Gu Liming uses his unique sensitive scale to  infiltrate the examination of traditional culture and the observation of contemporary culture, evolving it into  the inner strength; Liu Qinghe intervenes in the contemporary and uses pen and ink to form a direct  connection with the current life, depicting the nascent "urban" landscape and also personalizing the subtle  emotions to the viewer through ink; Tang Zhiyi uses oriental traditional art media - lacquer, as his art  language to carry out the present expression, and raises the physical, practical and ornamental qualities of the  paint to the spiritual level; Wang Yigang feels the uniqueness of Chinese color aesthetics, so he consciously  place restrictions on the use of color in the works, defining colors in the traditional way so as to let the  viewer have a unprecedented visual experience; Wu Mingzhong turns to establish a bridge between  traditional and modern dialogue, reflecting his appreciation for Chinese traditional culture and the thinking  of consumption culture; Zhang Zhijian dilutes the theme of the work, and instead strengthens the coding of  the language, actively mobilizing different visual languages and rhetorical methods to form visual tension at  the same time. 

 The change of the material world requires time, the change of art only requires the innovation of ideas. In the  context of Chinese contemporary art, the power of academy is not only teaching and educating people, but  also to constitute the pioneering force of Chinese art education, to cultivate contemporary artists who have  distinctive personal characteristics and can represent China.  

Soka Art Beijing is proud to announce the group exhibition “The Power of Academy”, opening on March  2nd, 2019. The exhibition is academically consulted by Dr. Xia Kejun and will showcase the recent works of  eight professors from top national art schools.