Introduction to the Parallel Exhibition of "798 Art Festival"
Title: "Qi Qiao (the seven orifices)"—group exhibition of eight graduate students from Experimental Art of CAFA School
Producer: Wang Feiyue
Academic Host: Wu Jian’an
Curator: Cheng Xi
Artists: Cheng Siyuan,Feng Zhijia,Liu Jiaying,Qi Le,Shou Shengnan,Tong Yanming,Yang Qilei,Zheng Jiayan
Organizer: Yue Art Museum, School of Experimental Art,Central Academy of Fine Arts
Opening time: 3:00 pm, September 28 (Saturday), 2019
Exhibition date: September 26-October 13, 2019.
Exhibition location: Hall A, Hall B, Beijing YueArt Museum
Address: B06, 797 Road, No. 2 Road, Jiuxianqiao, ChaoyangDistrict, Beijing
Exhibition introduction:
Qi Qiao (the seven orifices)—group exhibition of eight graduate students from Experimental Art of CAFA School
In The Normal Course for Rulers and Kings,Zhuangzi referred to two gods to open orifices for Chaos who had no orifice originally,and after seven orifices dug up,Chaos died. In popular saying,we also use “Qi Qiao Sheng Yan” (smoke rising from the seven orifices) to depict outrage. Due to fatal poison,the victim “Qi Qiao Liu Xue” (bleeds from seven orifices to death). Qi Qiao has very special implications for Chinese. As long as these two characters are combined,It seems to be able to express a delicate imagery of the body as a channel connecting “nei” (the internal) and “wai” (the external)rendering either the tangible or intangible to go through. Chinese also interpret Kai Qiao (the opening of orifices) as a common way expressing a kind of enlightenment. It seems that the internal world and external world should have been connected and then people are born wise at the very beginning. But orifices are blocked for some unknown reasons,and thus one has to clear the obstacles and return to the beginning. Academic education is often assumed as an analogy to the tragedy of orifices opening of Chaos,which might ring true. Creativity is mainly generated from the internal,however the external carving could also be indispensable,though it can be as dangerous as performing surgery in the dark. Art education seems to be a process when mentors and students are doing the adventures together. The former strives to look for the place of Qiao from outside while the latter do so from inside. Kai Qiao happens when the two matches. But once the place of Qiao is judged wrongly or mismatch happens,creativity might be deeply undermined.
Works here on display is from a group of outstanding young artists from Experimental Art of CAFA School,who are Feng Zhijia,Shou Shengnan,Qi Le,Zheng Jiayan,Tong Yanming,Liu Jiaying,Yang Qilei and Cheng Siyuan. To me,they are all gifted warriors who took the obvious risk of"enlightenment" and bore the college's “axe”. I hope we teachers can honor the trust of students and help them.