The 9th "Award of Art China -- Most Influential of the Year" Ceremony Took Place in Beijing

BEIJING, June 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- On the evening of May 28, 2015, the 9^th "Award of Art China -- Most Influential of the Year" Award Ceremony was staged at the Jianfu Palace Garden inside the Palace Museum, Beijing. Entering its ninth year, the AAC has made fundamental adjustments in its organizational structure, judging process and awards set-up under the principle of "Evolution, Revolution and Local Practice," while maintaining its focus on contemporary art and its goal to keep track of the development of Chinese contemporary art.

The AAC holds a stronger emphasis on independent artistic values and ideas, introducing to the global audience the most influential Chinese contemporary art and artists. This has led to changes in the award categories, which now consists of "Artist of the Year," "Young Artist of the Year" and "Art Publication of the Year." 

With Zhu Qingsheng serving as President, this year's AAC Judge Panel is made up of a prestigious team of renowned art critics and scholars including Bao Dong, Fei Dawei, Hou Hanru, Huang Zhuan, Gao Shimin, Li Zhenhua, Karen Smith, Lu Mingjun, Qin Siyuan, Shu Kewen, Philip Tinari, Wang Chunchen and Zhang Zikang. Together, the judges selected the final winners of the three AAC awards from the nominee lists.

Current President of the Judge Panel, Zhu Qingsheng made the opening speech at the ceremony, stating that the AAC had successfully narrowed the AAC's focus down to Chinese contemporary art last year, and continued this more focused approach this year. He adds that the reason why the AAC stood out amongst the large number of art wards in China is that it utilizes the "AAC Monthly Observations Reports" as an integral tool to track the trajectory of the development of Chinese contemporary art. In addition, the AAC's unique importance also stems from the art reporting and documentation done by Artron.net as a reliable art media. When talking about Chinese contemporary art, Zhu said "It has just started."

Wan Jie, founder of the AAC and President of Artron Art Group, also attended the event and shared with the audience the evolution of the AAC, saying that it was not simply an art award, but a loyal chronicler of every important moment of Chinese contemporary art. With its ultimate aspiration lying in bringing contemporary art under the spotlight, the AAC strives to establish an evaluation platform with equality, justice and transparency and to become a weathervane for Chinese contemporary art.

The Committee Recommends Five "Art Publications of the Year"

The first award of the evening was the "Art Publication of the Year," but Zhu Qingsheng appeared on stage with an empty envelope. He explained that in a unanimous decision, the Judge Panel had given the award to five art publications on a "recommendation" basis. They are: "A History of Exhibitions: Shanghai 1979-2006," "Contemporary Chinese Art: A Critical History," "Contemporary Chinese Art," "On Radical Art: The 80s Scene in Shanghai" and "Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art Studies" (Volume I: A Transition in Sensory Media and Cognitive Style).

The reason behind the five winnings, Zhu Qingsheng said, was that the AAC "Art Publication of the Year" is not merely about evaluating the publications, but also encouraging the emergence of publications with Chinese contemporary art as its topic, as the continuing development of Chinese contemporary art cannot live without in-depth and consistent studies and research. Zhu further mentions that the panel has gone through rounds of discussions on this award, which is positioned to celebrate writings that deal with Chinese contemporary art. "The AAC 'Art Publication of the Year' award focuses solely on contemporary art.  And after much examination and debate, the committee has decided to not select a winner for this category, but instead giving a Nomination Award to each of these five books," he concludes.

Two changes are prominently featured in this award category this year: on one hand, it holds a stronger emphasis the field of contemporary art; on the other hand, it has extended its previous language limitations by considering all publications on the topic of Chinese contemporary art, regardless of the language they are written in. Gao Shiming, presenter of the award, says: "I tend to believe that 'Art Publication of the Year' is a writing award. Writings constitute an extremely important driving force in the eco-system of contemporary art. It is an action, one that has the power to effect and change our thinking on questions that we have grown too familiar with, such as the structure of artistic understanding, historic perspective and art narratives. Authors of the five awarded books deserve credit for their action of writing, to say the least. I wish to see more inspired writings on art in China and overseas in the future."

Lin Ke Brings Home "Young Artist of the Year" Award

After an engrossing performance by dance troupe Hybride, Philip Tinari, Director of the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, announced that Lin Ke is the 2014 AAC "Young Artist of the Year."  German artist and European royalty Ingeborg zu Schleswig-Holstein presented the award to Lin with DSL representative Sullivan. 

At the ceremony, Tinari announced the reason for Lin's win: trading in strokes and colors for digital imagery, Lin Ke's work simulates the reality in a classically realistic style. Both its intricate visual impact and logical structure are fascinating, calling into mind our myriad imaginations of the relationships between nature and artificial reality, with reality and the virtual world, transcending the meaning of the image itself. Through Lin's work, the audience can sense the loneliness of a young man in the digital age, as well as the innate warmth and kindness of the modern people who live in it.

After winning "Young Artist of the Year," Lin Ke said: "Thank you AAC for this award. To be honest, most of my past works aren't exactly art, but a form of interaction; they don't necessarily form a relation with the physical world as they were realized in the virtual world of the internet. My works weren't noticed by anyone at the beginning, but everything changed after an exhibition at Gallery Yang. Some friends liked my works and started helping me sell them. My artistic creation and transaction work in a similar way as running an online store, and it has been a challenge. So winning this award is a tremendously importantly acknowledgment and inspiration for me to continue my work."

Zhang Peili Wins "Artist of the Year" Award

Member of the Judge Panel, Huang Zhuan announced the winner of the 2014 AAC "Artist of the Year" Award. Artist Zhang Peili stands out among the five fellow nominees and won the final award of the night, which was presented by President of Artron Art Group Wan Jie, and Administrative Vice Director of the Palace Museum Wang Yamin.

Huang then explained Zhang Peili's win: "Zhang's work is defined by its multiple meanings, from sociopolitical commentary to personal feelings. His video works intend to unveil the paradoxical relationship between man and the world. The artist stands in the neutral zone of introspect, delving into the human dilemmas freely and profoundly, creating an artistic system that is all-encompassing, multi-layered and powerful. Zhang's art possesses a unique power -- his audio installations, featuring crescendos and fade-outs of noises, depict the communicational conflicts and anxiety of the media era."

At the award ceremony, President of Artron Art Group and the First Vice President of the SEE Foundation, Wan Jie, was joined on stage by founder of SEE Liu Xiaoguang, SEE Eco Association Executive Tong Shumeng, President of Beijing Council International Auction Company Ltd. Dong Guoqiang, Executive Director of Poly Auction Zhao Xu. Along with artists Xu Bing, Sui Jianguo, Su Xinping and Zhan Wang, they addressed the audience on SEE's belief in environmental protection.

As an artist representative of the charity project, Xu Bing said in a speech, "The nature of contemporary art tends to become increasingly unclear in the process of artistic exploration. But one thing only gets more and more clear: the concept of environmental protection. We are more and more aware of the importance of keeping our planet healthy and green. Therefore, on behalf of the art circle, we'd like to read the following written initiative."

The four artists then announced the title of the initiative: "Solidarity of Art Power for a Better Planet," before reading the complete open letter in turns.

About Award of Art China     

Established in 2006 by Artron.net, Award of Art China (AAC) stands as China's most important art award. Through the yearly discovery and examination of Chinese contemporary artists and their work, it strives to present the development of Chinese contemporary art in a localized cultural context while advancing its impact on the global art scene. With "contemporary art in focus" as its guiding principle, the 9th edition of the AAC introduced three award categories: Artist of the Year, Young Artist of the Year, and Art Publication of the Year.

The 2014 awards focused on artists and publications that stood out in the past year with their innovation and creativity. Based on the data from the "AAC Monthly Observations Reports," the Organizing Committee recommended influential Chinese contemporary artists and publications to the Consultants Committee, which in turn made additions and objections to these recommendations and drew up a list of 30 nominee candidates. The Judge Panel then shortlisted five nominees for each category. After a final round of selection, the final winners are announced at the AAC Award Ceremony taking place the Palace Museum.

SOURCE artron.net