The next few months are going to be extremely busy for the Chinese contemporary art world. The Central Academy of Fine Arts also known as CAFA is hosting their graduation exhibitions for the next few weeks. CAFA is the best art academy in the nation and it boasts professors and graduates that are world famous Chinese contemporary artists. The school is extremely hard to get into, it turns away more than 90% of the applicant pool, due to the fact that most students land contracts with international and local galleries and dealers before graduation.

During the next few weeks, each graduating class will exhibit their works for 3-4 days. Now that confidence has returned to the Chinese contemporary art market, Sotheby’s Hong Kong spring auction was its highest grossing ever at $256 million including a record breaking Liu Ye selling for $2.4 million, I am sure dealers and galleries will be snapping up young CAFA talents.

This massive Transformer is one of the many pieces showcased in CAFA’s courtyard. Only in China can an art student have the money or the manpower to create such a gigantic sculpture. This is possible because many students are snapped up by galleries/dealers or investors while they are in school, funding huge projects, making the artist’s dreams come true.

The car that the Transformer is made from

On the other hand, the negative affects of the heavy scouting is that many young artists get snapped up before they know who they are. Some of these investors push the artist to create tons of product a year and immediately throw the works into the market without the right support where they crash and burn.

But I am sure this Transformer is a dream come true for this artist and many young boys and girls all around the world. Massive in its size and scope and beautiful in its detailing, it truly is a site to be seen.

Central Academy of Fine Arts Official Website
Art Speak: Central Academy of Fine Arts
NY Times: Schooling the Artists’ Republic of China
The New York Observer: Betting on China