It's graduation season again, and the graduation exhibitions of major art academies have become the focus of attention in the art world. Since these exhibitions are also open to the public, this stage for art graduates to display their learning achievements and talents has also triggered a carnival of traffic: Recently, "Prayer", an undergraduate work from the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, and "Dripping Instrument", a master's work from the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, have attracted attention, and many viewers have made special trips to these two works to check in and post.
Apart from the influence of Internet celebrities, how do we evaluate the professional value of these hit works? Some professionals in the art world told The Paper that the basic skills and creativity of graduates from art academies deserve recognition and encouragement, but there is no need to praise the works of fledgling artists too highly. Artistic creation requires a quiet environment and time to settle. How to avoid being swept away by traffic is a problem that every artist needs to face.
The exhibition of "Prayer" at the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts graduation exhibition
The creator and the instructor talked about the "Dripping Instrument" at the National Academy of Fine Arts Graduation Exhibition
At the 2025 graduation exhibition of the China Academy of Art, the work "Dripper" attracted a lot of attention and became a hit on social media.
This exhibit isomorphic between water ripples in nature and the ancient Chinese compass. The drip instrument is not a static entity for viewing only, but through the precise internal mechanical structure, the liquid drips in a regular and varied manner, simulating the diffusion effect of water ripples, giving the work a dynamic beauty. Its inspiration comes from the ancient Chinese compass elements. In addition, the "Circulation Instrument" next to it uses the form of yin and yang fish, a bronze fish and an electric fish swimming, to form a unique visual effect.
Nie Shichang’s work “Dripping Instrument”; image provided by the artist
“Tickometer” (detail); Image courtesy of the artist
The author of the work is Nie Shichang, a master's graduate from the School of Sculpture and Public Art of the China Academy of Art. His graduation work exhibited a total of five installations. Regarding the popularity of his work on the Internet, Nie Shichang told The Paper that the popularity of his work is inseparable from the love of the public and China's traditional culture. "In recent years, the development of national trends has actually been very good. For example, the Black Monkey King myth and the impact of the Nezha movie on the box office are all a recognition of the Chinese people's own culture and a return to this cognition."
Nie Shichang told The Paper that he is from Henan and is very interested in traditional Chinese culture. He often visits the Henan Provincial Museum and the Shaanxi Provincial History Museum. He also likes to think about and collect materials and poems related to traditional culture. In addition, he is also interested in mechanical things. Combining the two aspects led to the birth of his graduation work.
Nie Shichang's five graduation projects took more than a year to complete. In his opinion, the mechanical part is not difficult after being disassembled, but the difficulty lies in "how to maintain a very clever combination of some elements of Chinese traditional culture and the linkage of machinery."
After graduating with a master's degree, Nie Shichang will continue to pursue a doctorate at the China Academy of Art. He said, "It will become popular only if it is recognized by the public. This also shows that the artistic path I have chosen is right. In terms of expression, it is also right to use traditional Chinese culture to express beauty. In my doctoral and academic studies, I will continue to study in this direction."
Regarding Nie Shichang's works, his mentor, Yang Qirui, a professor and sculptor at the China Academy of Art, told The Paper that Nie Shichang has been studying at the School of Sculpture and Public Art at the China Academy of Art since his undergraduate studies, and will continue to study for a master's degree in the future. The installation art style he studied has been a continuation of his undergraduate studies. "He is more focused on combining our local culture with the contemporary part, so many of the works in this graduation exhibition are thoughts and creations on this theme. He has both his original intention and his persistence in his profession, and he is also obsessed with the application and use of technology, so his works are quite good."
Nie Shichang’s work “Circular Rituals”; image courtesy of the artist
Cyclic Instrument (detail); Image courtesy of the artist
Regarding the popularity of this art installation, Yang Qirui said that this popularity also reflects that the installation art of the School of Sculpture and Public Art has gone from being poorly understood in the early years to being understood by many people now, attracting social attention. This is a reflection of the school's years of development and exploration of this major. At the same time, this work connects and opens up connections with the public. "Now is an era in which aesthetic art tends to be diversified. The public has an atmosphere of tolerance, curiosity, and respect for exploring culture towards new types of art, including innovative forms. His works are understood and liked by people, which is also related to the progress of this era."
Of course, the popularity of this work is also inseparable from the topic of the integration of technology and art. "Obviously, the integration of technology and art has become a trend that is hotly discussed and focused on practice. Technology and AI have an impact on all art." Yang Qirui said.
So, will the explosion of a student work on the Internet have an impact on the evaluation and teaching of art colleges? In this regard, Yang Qirui gave a positive response, "Nowadays, the power and role of social evaluation are getting bigger and bigger, there is no doubt about that. From the perspective of the school, we hope that the height and depth of artistic level and social benefits can be unified in academic creation. This is our ideal pursuit. This will have a positive impact, especially for young people."
“Chongqing people’s own Mona Lisa”
Coincidentally, at the graduation exhibition of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, the work "Prayer" by An Qi, a 2025 graduate of the Oil Painting Department, also became extremely popular on social platforms. The three primary colors of red, yellow and blue were assigned to the headphones worn on the head of a wooden "model", the scarf and the scarf covering the "model". The face of the "model" was covered by the bubble film that everyone often sees when shopping online, so the appearance could not be seen. Some netizens jokingly called it "Chongqing people's own "Mona Lisa"," and this label quickly spread on social platforms.
When people first saw this work on social media, they wondered whether it was an oil painting or an installation. This is because the artist’s meticulous depiction of the wood grain on the “model’s” hands, the presentation of light and shadow at the bends and folds of the blue and yellow scarves, and the depiction of the bubble film… can all be described as being indistinguishable from the real thing.
Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts' popular graduation work "Prayer"
"I thought it was three-dimensional and almost touched it." "The painting technique is very strong and the meaning of the work is intriguing." "This scene made me think I was watching Mona Lisa in the Louvre." "Chongqing people also have their own Mona Lisa."
In response to the unusually high enthusiasm of netizens, the author An Qi previously explained her creative ideas on Xiaohongshu, saying that through this work, she hopes to remind everyone not to be lost in consumerism and lose themselves. "Nowadays, many people are controlled by endless shopping and body standards." An Qi said that the materials in the painting are actually cheap, and she wants to deconstruct the falsity of "exquisite life" through dense stacking.
Regarding the news that the work has been sold, the author An Qi said that it is true, but the price is not convenient to disclose.
Earlier media reports said that it took two months to complete this work. After determining the direction of the creative topic, An Qi and her instructor had multiple rounds of communication and discussion on the composition and theme of the picture. "After the composition was determined, I bought the materials myself and built the device in the classroom. The props, costumes, light angles... these were all completed after repeated communication and adjustments between me and the teacher." An Qi said. But An Qi naturally did not expect to become so popular on social platforms. "It's a bit surprising, but it also feels a bit unreal."
At present, An Qi has been admitted to Sichuan Fine Arts Institute's oil painting graduate program, and said that she will continue to work hard in study and creation.
Sichuan Fine Arts Institute has always been a special presence in the field of contemporary art in China. Compared with Beijing and Shanghai, Chongqing is located in southwest China, which allows greater flexibility in artistic creation. Sichuan Fine Arts Institute took the lead in the rise of "scar art" in the 1970s (such as Luo Zhongli's "Father" and He Duoling's "Spring Breeze Has Awakened"). These works intervened in reality with a gesture of compassion and human care, which was groundbreaking at the time. After that, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute became a pioneer in the "New Wave Art" movement in the 1980s, and contemporary artists such as Zhang Xiaogang also came out of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute. The basic skills acquired in the oil painting department of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, which is known for realism, laid the foundation for the artist's subsequent style transformation.
"Internet celebrity" works and "good" works may not be the same concept
When interviewed by The Paper, some teachers from relevant art academies expressed surprise at the sudden popularity of these works.
"When I first saw the work "Prayer" online, I just glanced at it and swiped past it. However, I have seen it a lot online in recent days. I think it has become a topic of discussion," an artist told The Paper. "Although the author interpreted the work as 'deconstructing consumerism' in the work's self-introduction, the method and interpretation she used, or the meaning of the text behind it, are not new concepts. It reflects the author's reading of art history, or contemporary art history, but the conversion is relatively simple. Of course, another reason for the attention may be the directness of the picture, which makes it particularly easy for non-art industry insiders, especially the general public (or netizens), to understand."
A professor from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute told The Paper, “In fact, the work ‘Prayer’ is at an average level in the entire graduation exhibition.” (It seems that the works of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute graduates are very strong overall).
A teacher from the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts said that it cannot be ignored that this is just a work by an undergraduate student, representing a certain experiment. From the student's perspective, this is indeed a work with solid basic skills and contains thoughts on consumerism. However, it is really unnecessary to praise this fledgling work to a certain height.
It is worth mentioning that the reporter found that the first post published on the Xiaohongshu account of Nie Shichang, the author of Gome's popular work, was his graduation work "Dripping Instrument", which was published on June 4. After that, the posts published were works such as "Circular Instrument", "Rhythm", and "Dead Tree Comes to Life". Before that, the account had no related works, life experiences, etc. In the week since he started posting, he has gained 23,000 followers, and his works have received 224,000 likes and collections.
Similarly, the popular work "Prayer" by Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts may also be the same. The reporter tried to learn more about the life of the author An Qi through social platforms, but her Xiaohongshu account only had a post about this work. However, three days after the work was released, its fans had jumped to nearly 60,000, and the number of likes on the work had exceeded 360,000.
Behind the traffic carnival, professional value and the Internet celebrity effect begin to become intricately intertwined. How to avoid serious artistic creation from becoming a fast food of traffic has become a topic worth thinking about.
In fact, an open graduation exhibition is not only for graduates, but also for every audience. Art needs to be discovered, to discover works that resonate with you, rather than flocking to "check in" at Internet celebrity works in the social media era.
A well-known critic told The Paper that traffic is fleeting and has no real influence on art evaluation, but on the contrary, for truly good works of art, it is imperative to build an evaluation system that takes into account both academic and communication. Wang Zhongyan, dean of the School of Fine Arts at Hangzhou Normal University, once emphasized in his graduation exhibition speech: "The ultimate value of art does not lie in technological innovation, but in the warmth of humanity and the depth of thought - awe of the texture of handmade works, honesty of life experience, and concern for social reality."
This topic about graduation artworks in the traffic era may be just as the theme of the China Academy of Art graduation exhibition "72 Changes" implies - in the eternal change, only sincere creation and open dialogue can withstand the erosion of time, "let art pass through the traffic fog and reach people's hearts."