The Second Academic Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary Prints is going to be opened to the public after it’s initial opening from August 5th to 6th at the Today Art Museum in Beijing. This exhibition belongs to a series of academic exhibitions held by the Today Art Museum which intends to organise a framework of Chinese contemporary art. Founded in 2009, it is going to be held every two years with the aim of presenting the developments and evolutions of contemporary prints in China.

Restore by Gu Yuan, 1948; Print,18.6×14.6cm

From the 1980s representative works and artists of various periods have emerged in the field of contemporary prints in China, which all have played a positive role in the development of Chinese contemporary art. Now this series of academic exhibitions on prints held by the Today Art Museum intends to place Chinese contemporary printmaking in the context of art history and international contemporary art, through the academic and experimental explorations from two dimensions of time and space to realize its comprehensive and continuing development and exchange.

Honeycomb by Guo Leilei, 2010; 29×45×6cm

Notation of Time by Chen Qi, section, 2011; installation, 122X8000cm

The theme of this exhibition is “Print•Concept”. Curated by Li Fan, Deputy Director of the Printmaking Department at CAFA, it is divided into two parts: Honorable Invited Exhibition—Prints on Yan’an by Gu Yuan; a group exhibition of “Print•Concept”, which has Fan Lijun as its specially invited artist. Contrasting the works and concepts of Gu Yuan, renowned Chinese printmaker and art educator with the innovations and ideas of Fan Lijun which represents the new artistic trends in China, it will bring about discussions on the real “revolution” and “avant garde” spirit.

Oral History-Ultrareal Us by Kong Guoqiao, 2006 ; gravure, 30cm×40cm

Zhang Zikang, Director of the Today Art Museum points out, “Works from Gu Yuan ” and creations by 24 contemporary printmakers are put together on display and aims to build a dialogue between the huge gaps generated by time and space. This exhibition tries to search for the common spirits during the development in printmaking from the “Woodcut Movement” to “Contemporary Printmaking”, thus the open patterns of successive printmaking can be discovered. Directed against the current situation of stiffness in printmaking, it can be taken as an inspiration for the future direction of printmaking in China.

1996.1B by Fang Lijun, 1996;Print, 488X366cm

The Second Academic Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary Prints

Print ·Concept

Organizer:Today Art Museum

Guests at the Opening：Gu Ancun(daughter of Gu Yuan), Pan Gongkai, Gu Juan(daughter of Gu Yuan) and Li Fan(curator)

Artist: Fang Lijun, Xu Bing, Liu Ye, Zhuang Hui& Dan’er, Zhang Qikai, Yan Jun, Wu Jian’an, Chen Xiaowen, Chen Qi, Liu Liping, Wang Yiqiong, Xu Baozhong, Kong Guoqiao, Yang Hongwei, Jiang Miao, Huang Jingyuan, Huang Yang, Shi Xinji, Kou Jianghui, Guo Leilei, Wang Haiyang, Zhou Danmei, Yang Yumin, Xue Guangchen

Opening Ceremony: 3pm, August 6, 2011

Duration: August 7-19, 2011

Venue: 2nd, 3rd, 4th floor exhibition hall of building 1

Specially Invited Exhibition Woodcut Prints by Gu Yuan in Yan’an

Artist: Gu Yuan

Opening Ceremony: 10am, August 5, 2011

Duration: August 7-19,2011

Venue: 2nd floor exhibition hall of building 2