Citywide celebration of culture
Graduates show works, as China Academy of Art provides fertile ground for imagination, Li Yingxue reports.
Over the years, the graduation exhibition has transformed into a citywide celebration of art every year, allowing visitors to enjoy thousands of pieces of art ranging from oil paintings, calligraphy and sculptures to videos, fashion, ceramics and multimedia installations. This year's exhibition showcased the graduation projects of 2,868 students: 1,834 undergraduates and 1,034 postgraduates, from 20 academic units, and was held at eight venues across Hangzhou, including the academy's Xiangshan and Liangzhu campuses, the Zhejiang Art Museum, the World Tourism Museum, and the Quan Shanshi Art Center. The exhibition ended on June 20, but visitors interested can also view the exhibits on an app, CAA Cosmos, launched by the academy.
"The exhibition has evolved into a youth festival involving cultural and artistic elements like the visual arts, design, exhibitions, fashion shows and bazaars," says Jin Yibin, chairman of the CAA committee of academy affairs.
The academy began this innovative approach in 2010, gathering graduation work for public exhibition. In 2019, it broke the confines of the campus and opened exhibition spaces in other venues of the city.
The aim is to create an "academy with no boundaries" that integrates internal and external resources, and to share achievements with the public, align accomplishments with urban development, and foster the growth of young artists alongside society, says Gao Shiming, president of the academy.
