Sponsored by the Artron Culture Group, Artron Foundation, and organized by Artron.com, Riverside Group Special Peak Night of “The 8th Award of Art China• Selections of Annual Influential 2013” was grandly held at the Cining Palace of the Forbidden City at 7:00 pm on May 23, 2014. After eight years of accumulation and precipitation, the Award of Art China • Selections of Annual Influential (hereinafter referred to the AAC)” witnesses the era that Chinese contemporary art has attracted worldwide attention, which becomes the most academic, credible and influential selection platform for the Chinese art industry with the promotion of outstanding artists, artworks, art exhibitions, and art events.

The award ceremony was presided over by the famous host Yang Lan, and more than 600 honored guests such as Shan Jixiang, President of the Palace Museum, the famous director karwai Wong, Ren Kelei, Director of OCT Contemporary Art Terminal, Wan Jie, Chairman of the Artron Culture Group, Fan Di-an, Director of National Art Museum of China, Pan Gongkai, President of CAFA, LaoZhu, Chairman of Vetting Committee, Professor of Peking University, Zhang Xiaomei, Chairman of Riverside Group, well-known fashion designer Vivienne Tam, Hu Yanyan, Wen Guihua, and Zhao Xu, authorities from the auction world, famous artists Jin Shangyi, Xu Bing, Ye Yongqing, Cui Xiuwen, Tan Ping, Lu Shengzhong, famous collectors Qiu Haoran, Zheng Hao, Qiao Zhibing, Tang Ju, renowned curators/art critics Karen Smith, Wang Huangsheng, Pi Li, Huang Zhuan, and Philip Tinari, including the judges of the preliminary selection and the eventual selection of the AAC, nominated artists and award-winning artists of the 8th AAC, gathered at the Forbidden City, to enjoy the annual artistic feast with integration of the ancient and the modern, thus the old Forbidden City coruscated a brilliant light for the charming essence of contemporary art.

13 AAC awards enrichment the art elegant demeanour in 2013

Annual Publication: “Collected Works of Yuan Dynasty”,

Annual Artist • Sculpture: Shi Hui

Annual Artist • Oil Painting: Su Xinping

Annual Young Artist: Sun Xun

Annual Artist • Calligraphy: Bao Xianlun

Annual Artist • Ink and Wash: Liu Qinghe

Annual Art Exhibition: “Autonomous Regions” contemporary art exhibition

Annual Artist • Installation and Multimedia: Xie Deqing

Annual Artist • Photography: Wang Guofeng

Annual Curator: Li Xu

Annual Special Contribution Award: Xin Dongwang

Annual Lifetime Achievement Award: Jin Shangyi

Art Plus Award: BMW (art event: 2013 “BMW China Culture Journey”)

(note: Art Plus Award is voted by thousands of netizens)

Xin Dongwang Won the Special Contribution Award and Art Charity Shining in the Evening at the Forbidden City

2013 is dubbed the first year of the era of new ink by the media, on the one hand, it displays some outstanding artists and outstanding artworks; on the other hand, Chinese economic power has great developed, so that Chinese contemporary art and contemporary ink paintings are internationally focused on. Artist Liu Qinghe is continuously committed to the urban performance using ink, and using his own way in responding to the time or maintaining the reputation of the ink, he does not only use the northern Chinese youths’ images to highlight young people’s oppressive feelings in the consumer society, but also eliminates the traditional way of painting, and then creates an unique painting feature. By virtue of a considerable strength, he stands out from the ink painters, and wins the annual ink painting award!

It was due to the largest focus that the famous artist Xin Dongwang won the Special Contribution Award. As a representative figure of contemporary new realism oil painting, with his accurate and feathery perception of people and society, Xin directly faced the objects, and his works are fresh and vivid, reflecting both the social, critical and humanistic care. For the creation and teaching of oil painting, Xin Dongwang achieved an irreplaceable contribution through his efforts. His death is also an immeasurable loss for the art world. His wife Zhang Hongfang made a special trip to receive the trophies of the AAC award for the late artist.

The award ceremony was interspersed with the unique performance that was brought by the famous French Retouramont troupe, which added an infinite brilliance to the night at Cining Palace! In addition, Artron continues the public charity activities for children in the remote areas, by donating e-book readerswith an educational art content and other activities to lighten the art dream of rural children. At the site of the award ceremony, Wan Jie, Chairman of Artron Culture Group, Li Ji, Director of The Forbidden City Cultural Heritage Conservation Foundation, Shi Jinlong, Director of Soong Ching Ling Foundation, Zhou Qiong, the General Secretary of Sun Culture Foundation donated the “Artron Art Library” to the recipient school, together with all the guests to lighten the art dream of children.

High-Profile, and the Building Up an Oscar-Level Academic Selection Team

It is combed through monthly, to enrich art historical information

The AAC of the year initially introduces the monthly observation, to ensure a fair selection. Artron monthly combs through the art events of the month, keeping them in archives in two forms: releasing them to the network and recording them on paper. With archives, it is more convenient for the judges and art professionals to look up, so that everything is clear.

Initially Set up Nomination Awards that Continuously Focus on and Track the Artists

It initially set up the Nomination Award of AAC, the top three nomination awards are born from the final selection, while Artron further tracks and focuses on them, in the afternoon of May 23, nomination awards of the 8th AAC was held at the Jingshengzhai of Jianfu Palace Garden at the Forbidden City, at the site of the award ceremony, LaoZhu, Chairman of the Vetting Committee said: all of the awards referred to contemporary art. The 8th session was more complex than the previous ones, and one more press conference than the previous ones. By adding one more round to the press conference and selection, the issues were questioned one more time. It was certain that you couldn’t imagine how fiercely our debating was in the selection process, it would be wider for the winners of the awards to consider issues, but the other finalists were also excellent, so that it initially put forward the concept of nomination awards this year. The nominated artists would be uninterruptedly focused on and reported on by Artron.com in the following year, it was attended by the winners.

The 8th AAC has experienced an half a year of preliminary selection and the final one, since in December 2013, more than 100 heavyweight judges went all out to participate, fully guaranteeing the objective, just and fair were the principles of the selection of AAC, which made the whole award more brilliant. AAC organizing committee believes that the award must step forward every year, while the result of the selection is not important, AAC will comprehensively build up an Oscar-level academic selection team in future, inviting the celebrities from cultural and business circles, and so on to join, to create and improve the academic selecting mechanism, deepening the academic selection, striving to make AAC synonymous with the mainstream Chinese art award so as to become the real Oscar in art circles.

Translated by Chen Peihua and edited by Sue/CAFA ART INFO.