Songs of the Earth: Artistic Documentary for a Better China, an exhibition hosted by the China Academy of Art, opened at the China Millennium Monument in Beijing on Wednesday.
The exhibition
In 2021, the academy established the institute to advocating for "Chinese art for a beautiful China". The institute explores new practices in which art and culture can empower social development via cultural creativity, tourism, education and entertainment.
Researchers from the institute interviewed more than 300 artists, scholars, designers, entrepreneurs and practitioners from China's 34 provinces and autonomous regions, gathering textual and video documentation for the institute's database.
Based on the research, nearly 100 projects were selected from more than 300 to be showcased in the exhibition's four categories of Village, Ecology, Community and Digital. The exhibition presents the artistic, innovative and sustainable practices taking place around China since reform and opening-up began, particularly in the past decade.
An online archive was also established alongside the exhibition, where viewers can search through and learn more about these projects based on regions, categories or features.
The exhibition will run through March 27, and a series of forums will be hosted throughout, inviting experts to discuss topics including environment and ecology, folk art rejuvenation and public art education.
