October 22, 2014

Through Drexel’s growing relationship with the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, three CAFA scholars will visit Westphal College on Monday, November 3 to speak on varying aspects of contemporary Chinese art. The event, which is free and open to all students, will take place from 4:00pm to 6:00pm in the URBN Annex Screening Room (3401 Filbert Street).

Professor Shao Yiyang, Head of Western Art Studies, will present a paper entitled Construction and Destruction in Contemporary Chinese Art. Professor Wang Chun, photographer and Deputy Chair of the Design School, will present the paper Fleeing Time: Contemporary Chinese Digital Art. And Professor Yu Ding, Deputy Chair of the School of Humanities, will speak on Contemporary Chinese Museums. Come and join the conversation to learn about the changes taking place in contemporary Chinese art and art institutions as these experts present their ideas on contemporary fine art, photography and the burgeoning world of Chinese museums.

CAFA is widely regarded as the premiere art academy in China. Last fall, Drexel’s Leonard Pearlstein Gallery hosted an exhibition of work by CAFA’s most talented young alumni artists, entitled “The Start of a Long Journey.” The exhibition, which represented some of the best emergening artists in China, examined how the development of Chinese art and fine arts education has taken a contrary route to that of Western Art. In the fall of 2012, nine members of Drexel’s Fine Arts faculty exhibited at CAFA’s Museum in Beijing. And in the fall of 2013, four art historians from Drexel delivered papers at CAFA.

Through this panel event and other activities, Westphal College is building academic bridges between our two institutions and exploring exciting opportunities for study abroad, co-ops, and visiting professorships.