When the fragrance of carnations fills the May wind, an artistic confession at the graduation season of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, which delves into the origin of life, the bonds of growth, and the emotional connections, is quietly taking shape in the exhibition hall. Several young artists, through painting, sculpture, and video, have constructed a dialogue on life. They have distilled the eternal themes of "mother", "maternal love", and "maternal nature" into a visual poem. On the occasion of Mother's Day, they present this artistic gift rich in emotion and warmth to the audience.
01
See the Weight of Time
CAFAM@ 2025
Author: Miao Runze
Work Title: "The Mother of the Mother of the Mother"
Tutors: Ning Ying, Feng Xin
The graduation work "The Mother of the Mother of the Mother" by Miao Runze from the School of Urban Design of the Central Academy of Fine Arts portrays the humorous and resilient life state of a 98-year-old woman through the records and interviews of his great-grandmother's daily life. With the images that blend documentary and poetic elements, it depicts the tenacious and abundant life background of a mother and a woman.
When conceiving the topic for his graduation project, Miao Runze hoped that his work could break out of the framework of traditional family documentaries. He aimed to use humorous and vivid language to tell the story of his great-grandmother, looking back on her past life. It not only shows her positive attitude towards life but also expresses her insights into life experiences and her contemplations on life.
02
The Initial Gaze of Life
CAFAM@ 2025
Author: Yang Songran
Work Title: "Traces"
Tutor: Mu Baiyan
Material: Vegetable-tanned Cowhide
When the fingers caress the traces and stitches retained on these sculptures, what one touches is not merely the soft leather. It is the whispers of stretch marks around the waist after a mother gives birth, the murmur of sagging breasts after breastfeeding, and the painful memories of the girdle digging into the flesh. "Traces", created by Yang Songran from the Sculpture Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, combines sculpture with vegetable-tanned leather materials. By presenting these "practical" artifacts in a public space, the traumas of mothers that have been deliberately downplayed by society have nowhere to hide. Every stitch is a trajectory of a woman's self-reconstruction.
She believes that this is not a display of beauty, but an anatomy of the resilience of a woman's life. Their strength does not lie in being flawless, but in choosing to conceive, struggle and grow despite the scars! This is precisely the greatness of every mother.
03
The Bonds and Awakening of Growth
CAFAM@ 2025
Work Title: Seeing the Letter Feels Like Meeting You
Author: Bai Ruoxuan
Tutor Team: Wang Liming, Jin Jun, Feng Mengbo, Liu Dejian
Research Direction: Immersive Experience and Game Design
The immersive interactive video work "Seeing the Letter Feels Like Meeting You" by Bai Ruoxuan from the School of Design of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, through the means of writing and reading letters, narrates the process of the author experiencing and overcoming anxiety. During this process, the mother provided unconditional support. Each concerned letter is filled with warmth. In this dialogue, maternal love always maintains an appropriate distance, silently illuminating the next part of the journey every time the author stumbles.
Bai Ruoxuan also wrote a reply to her mother: "As someone who is being a mother for the first time, you have been extremely successful! You have given me a very happy life and a cheerful personality! From now on, I hope you can get rid of the words'mom' and'mother', be a bit selfish, and I hope you can reserve all the best things for yourself in the days to come!" It is believed that this is also the sincere voice of all sons and daughters.
The scene of the audience interaction exhibition
04
The Taste of Reconstructed Memories
CAFAM@ 2025
Work Title: Three Meals
Author: Huang Li
Tutor Team: Chen Zhuo, Jin Jun, Wang Liming, Isabel Herguera (External Expert)
Research Direction: Research on Video Narrative
"Three Meals" is derived from the emotions and experiences of Huang Li, a graduate of the School of Design of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. She said, "In 2024, my mother passed away. The pain of losing a loved one made it difficult for me to express my emotions. My longing for my mother was finally attached to the food she loved during her lifetime." Her creation takes food as the thread of the entire film. By collecting and obtaining the daily dining situations of different families as the foundation, and using the simple form of three-screen juxtaposition, the proposition of "parting" is interpreted as life itself.
She hopes to prove that eternal parting is not a dramatic farewell, but the continuation of life that is passing by in every moment of life. Using these ordinary records and ordinary meals as a medium for a dialogue about life, the memory of taste is preserved in the camera.
When the lights in the exhibition hall gradually turn on, the wrinkles frozen on the sculptures, the hugs captured in the images, and the exhortations sealed in the letters will all turn into gentle touchpoints. They might be childhood memories hidden beneath the busyness, words of gratitude that one is too shy to express, or an epiphany about the inheritance of life. Here, art is no longer a one-way viewing experience but an emotional resonance with a synchronized heartbeat.
Finally, may every mother be able to hold onto her own light through the baptism of time, and may every person who stops by be able to find their own emotional anchor point. Let the love that has not been spoken continue within the texture of art.
Chief Editor / He Yisha
Editor / Du Yinzhu
