At 3:30 pm, on December 13th, 2013, the Session II of the “Contemporary Academic Open Lecture” entitled “How do we do art today?” was opened at the Academic Reporting Hall of the CAFA. It was sponsored by the Academic Committee of the CAFA, the CAFA Art Museum and the School of Humanities of the CAFA, supported by the Young Teachers Association of the CAFA, with Professor Liu Xiaodong, Director Wang Weisheng and Dean Yin Jinan acting as the general planners as well as Professor Song Xiaoxia as the academic presenter. Teachers and students of the CAFA and students from other universities in Beijing, as well as the general public also participated in the discussion.
Before the lecture, the presenter Song Xiaoxia introduced the nine speakers. She mentioned that this lecture was held on the occasion of presenting the “CAFA Teacher Exhibition”, and shared some thoughts of the teachers in the creation. It was an academic open lecture, and the audiences hoped to listen to a few more lecturers to talk about their artistic views. Then, the keynote speakers began to speak about their respective viewpoints and creative experiences in their fields of creation and research.
Professor Sun Jingbo opened the lecture. He said that the scene of the conference had given him a long lost feeling. It reminded him of the lecture scenes when everyone was thirsty for knowledge in the old buildings of the CAFA. He reviewed the history of the CAFA together with everyone and pointed out that the old CAFA was a concentration of Chinese art history in the last century and influenced the direction of Chinese art in this century; meanwhile, the CAFA practiced the spirit of advancing with the times and absorbing diverse culture, which was the pride of the CAFA people.
Professor Sui Jianguo described his art career: from following the trend of the country and the collective to gradually establishing his position. Among them, two turning points in his artistic creation were emphatically introduced. One was the June 4th incident that enabled him to find a way for individuals to do art—spending your lives and time slowly, then the material in front of you would turn into a work; The other one was the experience of being the director of the Sculpture Department, which let him understand “what is a sculpture”. The Sculpture is an art form related to time and space, inseparable from the feeling of the people or audience within it.
Professor Shao Yiyang pointed out that there must be sharp ideas in the creation, and the “CAFA Teacher Exhibition” had many works with ideas, but they were not sharp and powerful enough, which was also a problem encountered by the current art world. Art should ask questions and focus on artistic language and social criticism.
Professor Xu Bing believed that his creation was more about exploring contemporary cultural relations, in the persistent research of the particularity of Chinese culture, trying to touch Chinese people’s general way of thinking and explore the reasons why the current status of China was formed. Regarding how artists do art or make artworks sharper involves artists’problems. We should solve these problems at the present stage in the first place.
Professor Yin Jinan said that the moment was the “Zhao Benshan Era.” Even the masters like to ridicule. The boundaries between the master and Zhao Benshan are vague, but social absurdity and sharpness are not reflected in young artists’ works. Sometimes Zhao Benshan’s ridicule is acuter than that of artists. A good artist first proves that he is alive, followed by thinking and social criticism.
He also believed that the chaos in the Chinese art market is because there are only investors and no appreciators.
Mr. Yan Feng believed that at present the concept of work is different from that of the past and is two-way. The author must participate in the work. Also, technology has promoted art and design to some extent. However, works in which the technology cannot be seen are the best works. Technology is only a means and tool of expression. His creative process has gone through from simple to complex and from complex to simple again. Although creation is particularly difficult, he still feels happy in the process.
From the perspective of a designer, Wu Fan told that the teaching in the CAFA let him re-realize the unique value of a designer. A design has no fixed means of expression, and we have to abandon all contents and forms, devoted ourselves to a harsh environment to gain more stimulations in thinking.
Professor Xi Chuan has always maintained a cautious attitude and repeatedly stressed that he is talking about affairs of the cultural circle from the perspective of a poet, which can reflect the reality of the art circle in all respects. He pointed out that in this era of juggling, there is full of garbage. Whether the understanding of reality can directly become art and whether various kinds of the garbage can become an art language is a big test for artists. In the face of rapid development and cruel society, artists must be able to stand up and not lose themselves. While trying to be a good artist, art history opens another door for you. James C. Collins has said that “excellence is a great enemy”. At this time, artists are completely panic-stricken, going into a black hole just like writing. Artists should have their own coordinates in real life and define their targets.
Mr. Lu Liang said that doing art must be directional, and the target of the art service must be clarified. It is, ultimately, to find the self-worth. He is interested in topics that are related to everyday life, but rarely got responses from the public. Therefore, he believed that art is one-sided in the Chinese landscape.
Due to limited time, the nine teachers briefly introduced the methods of their respective creations, the perspectives of attention and many issues faced by the current art circle. In the Session I of the “Contemporary Academic Open Lecture”, by using the means of scene composition, all presenters created a lively “field” that continuously generated the possibility of thinking. The Session IIwas somewhat different. The audience present was more interested in hearing the answer to their questions about art.
Q&A
1. Why must art be sharp, and is moderation art?
Xi Chuan: Sharp issues are the ones that involve personal art position. If doing art in the center of an artistic circle, you must have talented people who surpass predecessors; if doing art on edge, you have to be experimental; if you create outside the artistic circle, it is anti-art. There is no difference in the choice of art position. The moderation may face more significant challenges, so artists must choose their artistic views.
2. Do works have to consider social significance? Or can you express your ideas?
Xu Bing: Chinese artists are now in an unusual period and face many maladies. However, these maladies are also resources for our work, and they are experimental. The real value of Chinese artists is based on empirical foundation. Many things look normal, but they may step into history. The most important thing in works is to express China’s most advanced achievements in civilization. China’s wisdom, especially the view of nature, will undoubtedly play an important role in future development. We have the responsibility to tell the world the best part of the national culture.
3. Does the sculpture have to pay attention to the art language or to the expression of the artist, and how to view its relationship? Why a lot of contemporary art miss emotional expression?
Sui Jianguo: Regarding the highest standards, there must be language innovation to express yourself, because you are different from others and will find a language that suits you. A lot of contemporary art has excluded emotional expression, which is caused by personal artistic concepts. If reaching a certain stage, artistic creation will surpass the issue of so-called professional language, because the need to strongly express ourselves will create a unique style.
4. Is basic training such as modeling accuracy and sketching necessary in college education?
Sun Jingbo: In the era of pluralism, we have experienced the process of inheriting the ancient Chinese art and absorbing the Western art, as well as the re-innovation. The plastic art is visual art, and we must not be preoccupied. The emergence and high end of each art genre require us to observe, emulate and study earnestly. I hope that students can continue to work hard to do their things well and perfect, having the ability to distinguish right from wrong in school.
