At 10:00 a.m. on September 14, 2025, the large-scale popular science exhibition "Energy and Civilization: Science & Art · Fusion Future", jointly launched by the Central Academy of Fine Arts, the Institute of Energy of Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, and the Hefei Municipal People's Government, will grandly open at CAFA Art Museum. As China's first museum-level science and art exhibition themed on "controllable nuclear fusion", it brings together top scientists in the field of nuclear fusion and leading figures in the art circle. From an interdisciplinary perspective, the exhibition combines scientific achievements with contemporary artistic expressions, establishing a complete knowledge chain from scientific issues to artistic representations, and then to public cognition.
The exhibition focuses on the evolution of energy technologies and the progress of civilization, particularly the breakthroughs in controllable nuclear fusion technology. It comprehensively demonstrates the scientific principles of nuclear fusion by integrating artistic expressions with the construction of a knowledge map spanning three dimensions: history, science, and art. From the historical perspective, it reviews the evolution of energy technologies from fire-making by drilling wood to nuclear fusion, and presents the arduous journey of China's nuclear fusion research. From the scientific perspective, it provides a panoramic interpretation of the principles of controllable nuclear fusion and showcases the course of scientific exploration through precious scientific relics such as EAST and tokamaks. From the artistic perspective, through large-scale installation works like Lightning, Sea, and Building the Sun, it transforms abstract scientific principles into visual spectacles, stimulating viewers' sensory experiences and reflections.
The innovative exhibition methods not only achieve the two-way stimulation of scientific expression and artistic cognition, but also allow the audience to intuitively feel the infinite potential of energy through an immersive experience, inspiring people's imagination and reflection on the future energy era.
The exhibition will skillfully integrate scientific expression with artistic perception through a number of installation works, inspiring visitors' in-depth thinking and sensory experience of nuclear fusion technology.
Installation Lightning
The installation Lightning carries forward the design concept of the Tesla coil. It is both a reproduction of Nikola Tesla's great invention at the end of the 19th century and a link connecting history, the present, and the future. This work not only presents the ultra-high temperature environment required for nuclear fusion but also, through intense sounds and collisions of light and shadow, metaphorically embodies the profound driving forces of nature. It engages in a dialogue with nuclear fusion—humanity's ultimate energy dream—both visually and philosophically.
Installation Sea
The installation Sea vividly presents a future scenario where seawater is converted into energy through 50 tons of artificial seawater, highlighting the enormous potential of controllable nuclear fusion and demonstrating its value as an ideal ultimate energy source.
Installation Building the Sun
Building the Sun channels outdoor sunlight into the art museum via optical fiber devices, then projects it through light concentration to create a 5-meter-diameter "artificial sun". This not only reproduces the energy form of sunlight but also echoes the scene of 50 tons of seawater in the exhibition hall, helping visitors intuitively understand the enormous potential of nuclear fusion energy. Through these works, the exhibition breaks away from the form of traditional popular science exhibitions and creates an interactive space for art and science experiences.
The exhibition has carefully selected a series of nuclear fusion scientific devices, showcasing the precision and profundity of the physical world and forming a "chain of material evidence for the evolution of civilization". From China's first tokamak device to the EAST device, these precious scientific instruments spanning nearly two centuries link key historical nodes in China's nuclear fusion research, highlighting China's important position in global energy exploration.
Since the 1970s, China has launched the magnetic confinement fusion research program, with tokamak becoming the main research path. In the 1980s, China successfully built its first small tokamak device, KT-5, marking a breakthrough in the country's nuclear fusion research. This device not only provided an important experimental platform for basic physical issues such as plasma-wave interactions but also promoted the development of various advanced plasma diagnostic technologies, serving as a core experimental platform for talent cultivation in the field of nuclear fusion. By exhibiting these precious relics, the exhibition enables visitors to deeply understand China's remarkable achievements in nuclear fusion research and its leading position in the global energy science and technology sector.
The exhibition features a number of interactive experience installations, such as "Fusion Droplets · Decoding Civilization (Seawater Card)", which is a participatory science popularization activity: each participant is a transmitter of the energy of civilization. Children can personally experience the technological miracle of "from a drop of seawater to infinite energy" through the process of extracting seawater → activating the content of documents → piecing together the energy civilization code wall. At the same time, a series of derivatives related to nuclear fusion and energy will be launched at the exhibition site, allowing visitors to extend their exhibition experience through these products and think deeply about the integration of science and art.
This exhibition is included in the series of events for the 2025 National Science Popularization Month, the 2025 Beijing International Design Week, and the 2025 3rd China (Hefei) International Science and Art Week. It will tour cities such as Hefei, Chongqing, Shenzhen, and Shanghai in the future. The exhibition will also cooperate with a number of science education institutions, and in the future, it will reach a wider group of teenagers through forms such as "science and art workshops entering campuses" and "themed cloud classes".
Energy And Civilization-- Science & Art · Fusion Future
Venue: 1st Floor Exhibition Hall, CAFA Art Museum
Time: September 14 - October 12, 2025 (Opening Time: 10:00 a.m. on September 14; Opening Venue: Academic Lecture Hall, CAFA Art Museum)
Exhibition Working Team:
Academic Advisors: Lin Mao, Li Jiangang
Invited Advisors: Qiu Zhijie, Hu Haomin
Chief Coordinator: Pan Chenghui
Administrative Coordinators: Wu Yajuan, Wang Shu
Chief Curators: Wu Zheng, Kong Defeng
Exhibition Directors: Jin Jun, Han Wenchao
Exhibition Coordinators: Gao Gao, Hai Jun
Curatorial Team: Zhang Zhaohong, Shen Xingyi, Su Lei, Shen Cong, Chen Yu, Qu Chengming, He Qiuyan
Executive Curators: Cai Miaomiao, Liu Xiangqi, Zhou You, Hu Yiwei, Wu Yingqi, Zhu Zixiu, Wu Zhendong, Hu Manlu
Exhibition Coordinators: Wang Jing, Liu Xiyan
Host Organizations:
Central Academy of Fine Arts
Institute of Energy, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center
Hefei Municipal People's Government
Organizing Units:
Art Museum of the Central Academy of Fine Arts
Science and Art Joint Laboratory, Institute of Energy, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center
Big Sun (Hefei) Culture and Technology Co., Ltd.
Co-organizers:
Plasma Physics Institute, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences
School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China
Science Popularization China
Department of Sculpture, Central Academy of Fine Arts
School of Experimental Art and Technology Art, Central Academy of Fine Arts
School of Design, Central Academy of Fine Arts
School of Urban Design, Central Academy of Fine Arts
Office of Scientific Research, Central Academy of Fine Arts
Institute of Science and Technology Art, Central Academy of Fine Arts
School of Design and Art, Beijing Institute of Technology
School of Future Design, Beijing Normal University
Professional Committee of Popular Science Culture Industry, China Society for Science and Technology Journalism
Key Laboratory of Industrial and Information Technology for Innovation Design in Industrial Manufacturing Art
Supporting Organizations:
Beijing International Design Week
Beijing ByteDance Network Technology Co., Ltd.
Epson Light & Shadow Research Institute
Shenzhen Seetao Optoelectronics Co., Ltd.
Beijing Yuanlichen Superconducting Technology Co., Ltd.
Jimu Laboratory
Tianyu ARTECH
Anhui Benlun Technology Co., Ltd.
Beijing Hegu Gongchuang Technology Co., Ltd.
Chief Editor / He Yisha
Editor / Du Yinzhu