During the CAFA graduation season, a group of graduates has created an "Art Paradise" from a child's perspective, completing a cross-generational narrative of childhood. The most touching "weather" this summer is undoubtedly that pure and vibrant "childlikeness". As the Dragon Boat Festival and Children's Day approach, we sincerely invite all children interested in art and big kids with undiminished childlike innocence to join us at CAFA for this gentle exploration of the world.
Wang Jianye's 'Acute Angle'
Fiberglass, foam
Dimensions: 260x280x230 cm
The work Acute Angle explores the profound social proposition of love and pressure in family relationships. Starting from his own family background, Wang Jianye triggers an in-depth reflection on family ties. The five figures in the work adopt curved postures, with outstretched arms and overlapping bodies forming an airtight "human-shaped forest". A blue children's chair placed in front allows viewers, when seated, to intuitively experience a sense of being surrounded and oppressed—thereby deepening their understanding of the complex emotions between parents and children that the work examines. So, what does true care look like through a child's eyes?
Author: Guo Chunlei
Work Title: Mindscape
Instructors: Ma Zhiqiang, Cheng Kemei, Liu Xiao
Work Information: Variable
Work Material: Mixed Media
Guo Chunlei's Mindscape takes "the vanishing childhood spaces" as its entry point. In the rapidly developing urban environment, the living scenes of childhood often fade away quietly. These spaces not only carry memories but also relate to an individual's emotions and identity. Starting from the word "mindscape", the short film tells how the protagonist hears sounds from the past through a conch shell, enters the inner world of the mind, salvages memories, constructs a childhood residence within the conch, and immerses herself in it, only to be washed back to reality by the waves in the end. She hopes to express the themes of nostalgia and growth through this film, and explore how individuals face loss and seek themselves amid changes.
Author: Liu Xinyi
Work Title: Short Nails
Instructors: Cheng Kemei, Xu Tong, Jin Jun
Work Information: Frame-by-frame hand-drawn 2D animation, 16:9
In her animation expression, Liu Xinyi has chosen a warm yet slightly melancholic artistic style to better convey the thematic emotions. Throughout the entire storyline, in addition to the obvious clue of nails, the phrase "like mother" serves as a hidden thread of the story, continuously emphasizing the relationship between the daughter and her mother. The ending of the work is open-ended, as the author hopes to guide the audience to interpret the love, conflicts, growth, and understanding between mothers and daughters from multiple dimensions.
Author: Li Hang
Instructors: Chen Ke, Liu Qing, Shen Hongbiao, Du Yingqi
Work Material: Wool, Yarn
"The Immanence of Self-Nature" refers to the exploration of the potential of one's inner true self, and symbolizes the integrity and richness of the individual mind. In simple terms, just as a seed contains infinite vitality, waiting for the right moment to bloom: the sugar palm appears unreserved and powerful; the blue cowrie shell lies on the ground in a tender, languid posture; the central ginkgo nut is plump and unassuming; the Sterculia foetida presents a shape of tolerance and support... Similarly, for children, each person has different innate natures and potentials, and individuals will unleash unique brilliance and strength. In this endless cycle, we can respect differences, accept ourselves, and let the unique "self-nature" collectively construct a world full of vitality and diversity.
Author: Xiao Xinye
Instructors: Cheng Kemei, Wang Liming, Ma Zhiqiang
Work Title: Tang Ying
Tang Ying is a film with a relatively unique theme. Inspired by the director's childhood experiences of living in their hometown and the dreams they had due to fear of the dark, this experimental 2D narrative film explores how the lack of security among left-behind children—caused by the absence of parental companionship in their original families—can be expressed through an artistic cinematic perspective. In the story, when Xiao Tang is sent to the countryside by her parents, her grievance stems not only from the physical relocation but also from the break of emotional bonds. According to Bowlby's attachment theory, emotional deprivation during childhood can lead to persistent psychological voids. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics in 2023 shows that there are approximately 5.89 million left-behind children in rural China—a huge group in which the emotional complexities of individual cases behind the numbers are rarely seen. The author intends to use the unique metaphorical power of animation to present this "invisible trauma"—like the "shadow" that looms in the dark—and hopes to draw attention to the "invisible wound" of parental absence in original families, allowing the emotions folded within statistical figures to "stand upright and walk again" in the light and shadow.
Author: Chen Xuan
Instructors: Xu Tong, Hai Jun, Zhang Mingguan
Work Title: Companionship · Rock
In the exhibition hall, there are also toy products specially designed for kindergarten children. The author Chen Xuan hopes to help children alleviate the separation anxiety that generally occurs when they first start kindergarten. At the beginning of the design, based on the research results combining online and offline methods, the design integrates artificial intelligence algorithm simulation with children's preferences to create a series of symbolic stress-relief toys that can be used in different scenarios to alleviate separation anxiety. Studies have found that most children enjoy touching rocks and hugging fluffy items, as this gives them a corresponding feeling of warmth and being wrapped. Therefore, the main body of the toy is designed to resemble a rock-climbing column and rock wall. The choice of toy colors is also based on children's developmental characteristics and research results. Small desktop toys are designed based on items familiar and interesting to children, such as clocks, kaleidoscopes, and common foods in life, such as potato and celery root cut surfaces.
Dear big friends and little friends,
Do you like these works?
This Children's Day,
We are at the Central Academy of Fine Arts,
Protecting all unfinished fairy tales!
| Friendly Reminder |
The undergraduate graduation exhibition (first phase) of the Central Academy of Fine Arts will close on June 3. Don't miss it if you haven't visited yet!
Reservation Channel
2025 CAFA Graduation Season
CAFAM@ 2025
The online reservation and ticketing channel for the 2025 CAFA Graduation Season is now open. Visitors can make reservations and purchase tickets through the CAFA Art Museum mini-program, WeChat official account, or official website (for ticketing instructions, please refer to the official website). The number of daily visiting slots is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. During the Graduation Season, the museum will be open as usual on Mondays.
When making a reservation, valid identification documents must be used for real-name registration. Each person can only make one reservation per day. After successful reservation, visitors should arrive at the specified time. During the Graduation Season, visitors can enter the museum by swiping ID cards at the dedicated ticket-checking channel at the north gate of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.
Chief Editor / He Yisha
Editor / Du Yinzhu
