Afternoon of April 26
Echoes of a new era
Beijing Film Academy Contemporary Art Five-Person Exhibition
At Beijing Film Academy Haidian Campus
The opening of the Four Dimensions Art Museum
This event is hosted by Beijing Film Academy
Hosted by the Animation School of Beijing Film Academy
Co-organized by the Institute of Contemporary Art of Beijing Film Academy
This exhibition selects a total of 43 works by five artists , including Sun Lijun, Li Jianping, Meng Luding, Gu Liming, and Zhang Xiaoling. The works integrate a variety of media such as oil painting, ink painting, installation, and animation manuscripts. It aims to showcase the achievements and core concepts of the Beijing Film Academy’s fine arts discipline construction, and to inject unique power into the innovative exploration and prosperous development of Chinese contemporary art.
Zhou Zhijun, secretary of the Party Committee of Beijing Film Academy, said in his speech that in 2025, the 130th anniversary of the birth of world cinema, the 120th anniversary of the birth of Chinese film , the 75th anniversary of film education in New China , and the key node of the 75th anniversary of the Beijing Film Academy , this exhibition has profound significance. The creations of the five artists are not only a profound answer to “what is art”, but also a pioneering interpretation of “where the times are going”; they are a firm protection of cultural roots, and the sonorous footsteps of Chinese contemporary art on the world stage. Zhou Zhijun emphasized that Beijing Film Academy has always insisted on promoting the deep integration of art and technology, keeping pace with the times and resonating with the country. In the future, Beijing Film Academy will continue to deepen the construction of fine arts and calligraphy disciplines, create an art education highland with international influence, and contribute “film academy wisdom” to the prosperity of Chinese art in the new era and global cultural dialogue.
At the opening ceremony, the host, Professor Ma Hua, Vice Dean of the Animation School of the Beijing Film Academy, on behalf of the organizers of this exhibition, first extended the warmest welcome and most sincere gratitude to all the guests who came from afar.
The Beijing Film Academy has a profound cultural context in the construction of fine arts disciplines. Since its establishment in 1951, the Department of Fine Arts has been one of the four earliest core departments of the academy. In 2011, it was approved to offer a doctorate in fine arts, and in 2024, it added a professional doctorate in fine arts and calligraphy. The Beijing Film Academy has always taken “integration of art and technology, and equal emphasis on theory and practice” as its core concept, and has built a high-level, practical and academic talent training system for fine arts and calligraphy that covers undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees. It breaks the boundaries of traditional fine arts disciplines, promotes the deep integration of cutting-edge technologies such as film, digital media, and artificial intelligence with fine arts and calligraphy, and expands innovative paths for artistic expression.
Mr. Wang Ping, member of the Party Leadership Group and Secretary General of the China Artists Association, emphasized in his speech that the works of the five artists are extremely “ideologically penetrating” and that “art creates the echo of the times”, reflecting the creators’ profound thinking on history, human nature and the propositions of the times, and demonstrating the important value of in-depth exploration of the ontological language of art. Mr. Wang Ping particularly mentioned that at a time when digital creation is popular, the presentation of a large number of artists’ manuscripts in the exhibition is particularly precious, providing an example for art education to return to its manual roots and attach importance to ontological language training. He expects the fine arts discipline of the Beijing Film Academy to continue to create a unique academic pattern with the characteristics of “forward-looking professional settings” and “leading development by industry masters”, and promote the resonance of art education with the spirit of the times.
This exhibition brings together the ingenious works of five artists, who use different artistic languages to jointly interpret the theme of “Echoes of the New Era”.
Professor Sun Lijun, an artist participating in the exhibition, shared his personal artistic journey and public welfare experience, and emphasized that “exhibitions are an important form of conveying the cultural color, cultural style, and spiritual outlook of universities to the society .” In the context of the new era, art education needs to be based on traditional techniques, embrace new technologies such as AI, and cultivate compound talents with both humanistic care and innovation capabilities. Art should come from life and serve the people. The fine arts discipline of the Beijing Film Academy should be based on talent training, combined with the advantages of film disciplines, promote the combination of traditional fine arts and imaging technology, enhance public aesthetics, avoid self-admiration, and promote discipline development and cultural communication through interdisciplinary practice and social responsibility.
Professor Li Jianping mentioned that the works on display span several decades, which directly demonstrated the trajectory of discipline development and reflected the disciplinary characteristics of the intersection of animation and fine arts, injecting new impetus into promoting the deep integration of film and television animation and fine arts and the contemporary development of disciplines.
Professor Meng Luding fondly recalled the friendship spanning decades with his fellow artists, and admitted that this exhibition has special significance for him. It is not only a platform for presenting creative achievements, but also a spiritual bond connecting his fellow artists.
Professor Gu Liming believes that AI creations lack human aura and spiritual qualities. In today’s era of flat information, he clearly feels the relationship between art and science. The core of artistic creation is the expression of humanity. Only by adhering to the humanistic core can the authenticity of creativity be maintained in the wave of technology.
Professor Zhang Xiaoling mentioned that after years of exploration, Chinese contemporary art is facing a critical opportunity to empower innovation with traditional media. Zhang Xiaoling’s unique “lacquer and ink” material creation is not only a carrier of cultural roots, but also a core path to construct a unique language for Chinese contemporary art.
After the five artists gave sincere and moving speeches, and amid warm applause from the guests, Gao Shuxun, former vice governor of Yunnan Province, came to the stage and announced the official opening of the exhibition!
Guests were free to visit the exhibition under the guidance of the artists.
The artists explained carefully and exchanged ideas with each other.
This “Echoes of the New Era: Beijing Film Academy Contemporary Art Five-Person Exhibition” is not only a three-dimensional presentation of the achievements of the Beijing Film Academy’s fine arts discipline construction, but also a concrete expression of its educational philosophy and academic pursuits. It is believed that the philosophical concepts, creative paths, practical methods and aesthetic experiences of this exhibition will be effectively implanted into the teaching practice of fine arts at the Film Academy, and make a unique contribution to the construction of a fine arts teaching system with the characteristics of the Beijing Film Academy.
In the future, Beijing Film Academy will continue to deepen the professional construction of fine arts and calligraphy disciplines, optimize the doctoral training mechanism, promote the coordinated development of academic research and artistic practice, further enhance the leading role of the discipline in national higher art education, and contribute unique strength to the innovation and prosperity of Chinese contemporary art!
