No shortcuts to next big thing

Exhibitions of works by young, aspiring artists are on the rise, allowing art lovers to see the next generation's creations. But critics say such early exposure can be damaging to the development of the work. Lin Qi reports.

With a growing number of young people pursuing a career in art, there has been an up-tick in the number of exhibitions and art fairs, especially around graduation season, as these aspiring artists seek public exposure.

The Realm of Advaita is one such attempt to bring outstanding art school students and recent graduates into the public eye.

Launched in 2006, and held by the non-profit Today Art Museum, the annual exhibition presents nearly 200 artworks and gives a number of awards for exceptional works in various categories.

The judging committee say this year's theme encourages participants to reflect upon their experiences and open their minds. They hope to present a vibrant landscape of Chinese contemporary art that differs from older generations, such as the so-called cynical realism movement, which is deeply influenced by pop art and Western aesthetics.

This year, the exhibition displays a preference for installation, photography, video and new media art, showing more than 51 works, far more than the works in conventional categories such as painting, print and sculpture.

"Practice is always ahead of theory," says Zhang Gan, deputy director of the Academy of Art & Design, Tsinghua University and member of the judging committee. "An artist should not bother with what style his works fall into or which school he belongs to. He only needs to create the best art to the best of his ability."

The exhibition is one of many launch pads for promising artists. Art Nova 100 will hold a grand exhibition at Beijing's National Agriculture Exhibition Center from Aug 16 to 18. The art project, launched in 2011, promotes 100 artists every year and tours exhibitions across the country.

Art academies have started to present many graduation shows before and during the summer vacation.

Among them, the Beijing-based Central Academy of Fine Arts has established its own brand, The Start of a Long Journey, which exhibits selected works of "excellent graduates", and has been held for six years. This year's exhibition ended on July 26 and will tour to other art colleges to incorporate their graduates' works.

"Many works are sophisticated, and feel like they are specially commissioned for a museum space," says Wang Huangsheng, director of the CAFA Art Museum where the exhibition was held. "It shows that their creators have paid a lot of attention to the details and the skills, and they have thought deeply about social issues."

Graduation exhibitions used to be campus forums, but in recent years they have become more accessible to the public and have attracted galleries and collectors looking for future star artists. This has led to criticism that some works at the graduation shows and young artist fairs have become market oriented, with poor quality reproductions of commercially successful styles.

Bai Ming, a professor of ceramic art with Beijing-based Tsinghua University, says that it's inevitable that students' works tend to look like their mentors' and mimic what the market demands.

"Young artists are exposed to a great deal of fragmented information every day," Bai says.

"They are too busy absorbing knowledge to dig deeply and think profoundly. Art colleges must not only teach practical skills, teachers should also equip students with the approaches of thinking and creating."

Last September, CAFA launched a project that monitors the careers of participating graduates over 10 years. The Start of A Long Journey collects each graduate's basic information and builds up an individual database. Every year, the staff will interview the graduates to monitor their progress, recording the number of exhibitions they have participated in and the works they have sold.

"Young people should be prepared for the harshness of the art landscape outside campus while sticking to their ideals," says Professor Yu Ding who heads the project. "It takes a long journey before one becomes a true artist."

Contact the writer at linqi@chinadaily.com.cn