Curatorial Proposal

Exhibition Theme: "Collision and Fusion"

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Organizing Group: "Art and Beyond"

 

"Art and Beyond" is a high school art club for students established in 2025. Through appreciation and free creation of various art forms (including but not limited to various types of painting and art artifacts), the club popularizes art history knowledge and opens the door to "aesthetics" for the public. Art is the medium, aesthetics is the core, and academics are the extension. The club's goal is to convey a concept to everyone: perceiving and understanding the world through aesthetics is everyone's instinct and right.

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Theme Statement:

 

As the first event of the "Art and Beyond" club's main activities, "Collision and Fusion" will challenge traditional art limits by having participants recreate classic artworks based on their own understanding, mixing different art styles, cultures, time periods, techniques, and current trends to create a stunning visual experience for visitors that goes beyond time, space, and art types.

This event is also our process of exploring ways to popularize art history knowledge through practice, allowing more people to participate in art appreciation and learning. By materializing and even monetizing some design works, we explore how to integrate art into contemporary teenagers' lives, social practices, learning, and entertainment.

To understand the current situation and the thoughts and needs of potential activity participants, we initiated an online survey. The subjects of this survey come from club members, art enthusiasts from both inside and outside the school, and others. For specific survey content and statistical results, please refer to the club's official WeChat account.

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Survey results are summarized as follows:

• Over 60% of respondents believe they have very strong or relatively strong aesthetic sensibility;

• Over 90% of respondents believe that frequent exposure to art or participation in art activities helps improve aesthetic sensibility;

• Corresponding to the above conclusion, over 60% of respondents indicated they cannot regularly participate in art activities. The main reasons preventing their participation are concentrated in the following four points: art galleries are far away and difficult to book; lack of art enthusiasts around them for companionship; poor experience at popular exhibitions due to crowds; limited art resources in their surroundings.

• Regarding the complex Western art movements, respondents are relatively familiar with the Renaissance, Impressionism, Romanticism, and other art styles we often hear about. However, the styles or art periods that people are interested in are relatively less concentrated, with many respondents favoring Chinese classical art, ancient Greek and Roman art, Renaissance art, 19th century art, and contemporary visual arts.

• As for ways of understanding art, most respondents prefer basic guided tours at museums and art galleries, hands-on workshops, and accessible books or lectures. Regarding content they want to learn about, interests are concentrated on life aesthetics, artwork interpretation, understanding relevant historical and cultural backgrounds, and introductions to media and techniques.

• For improving personal aesthetic sensibility and mastering the ability to understand artworks, most respondents consider the following relatively important: interpretation of historical and cultural contexts, mastery of painting techniques and forms, narrative and emotional experiences, and identification of styles and movements.

• Finally, regarding discussions of social issues through art, most respondents are still more concerned with historical and cultural heritage, mental health, and emotional expression.

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Based on the above survey results, the "Collision and Fusion" themed exhibition will unveil art through breaking boundaries and innovative approaches, understanding classics while promoting creative fun. At the same time, we will provide a stage for exhibition visitors to experience art creation and express emotions and feelings in their own ways. We define the goal of this exhibition as: The art exhibition beside you—opening the door to classic art in ways you love and excel at, and bringing art into life.

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Artwork Requirements:

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We are seeking works with the following characteristics:

1. The inspiration, theme, or content of the creation comes from classic artworks. Classic artworks are defined as artistic works with certain artistic value and influence, with identifiable creators, periods, and creative backgrounds, which can be paintings, sculptures, architecture, etc.

2. Creative forms can include: watercolor, oil painting, anime, Chinese painting, sculpture, photography, AIGC, cultural and creative design, fashion and accessory design, furniture and ornament design, etc. (Design works can be displayable design drafts or physical samples).

3. Requirements are to use methods you love or excel at, based on understanding of classic artworks, to reference, extend, and recreate, and be able to articulate your creative concept. For example, recreating Western oil paintings through traditional Chinese painting forms; showcasing scenes from abstract classic oil paintings through landscape photography; creating ancient Greek and Roman sculpture deities as anime characters; expressing two-dimensional culture through Western painting forms, etc.

 

Implementation Timeline:

 

• On-Campus Exhibition

Step 1 (Until early November): Call for artworks.

Step 2 (Mid-November - End of November): Determine exhibition venue, display requirements, and finalize plan.

Step 3 (Early December - Mid-December): Artworks in place, promotion and presentations.

Step 4 (Mid-December - Early January 2026): Install artworks in gallery, arrange exhibition space, exhibition period.

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• Off-Campus Exhibition (TBD)

 

Related Budget:

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• On-Campus Exhibition:

Since the first exhibition will be held on campus, the specific venue depends on the number of collected artworks, with main expenses for exhibition installation.

 

• Off-Campus Exhibition (TBD)

 

Education and Promotion Plan:

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• On-Campus Exhibition

1. Social media/community promotion: WeChat official account and Moments.

2. Club members' offline sharing sessions to share their creative concepts.

3. Related artworks and creative concepts will be simultaneously launched on the WeChat official account.

4. Poster promotion.

 

• Off-Campus Exhibition (TBD)