On 30 May, the 2018-2019 Porsche “Young Chinese Artist of the Year” Nominees’ Exhibition was unveiled at the second JINGART in Beijing. With the theme of “What is it that makes today’s LIFE so different?”, the 20 nominated artists utilised innovative and diverse artistic mediums to interpret current popular lifestyle trends and topical issues that attract wide attention among young artists, so as to create an in-depth review and examination of modern society.

Dr. -Ing Jens Puttfarcken, President and CEO of Porsche China; Ms. Jojo Tang, Vice President Public Relations and Press of Porsche China; Ms. Kylie Ying, co-founder of the ART021 Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair and the co-founder of JINGART;  Professor Qiu Zhijie, Dean of the School of Experimental Art of the Central Academy of Fine Arts; Ms. Yu Miao, art historian and critic; artist Liu Jianhua; and Dr. Yeewan Koon, the chair and associate professor of the Fine Arts Department, University of Hong Kong, and experts from cooperative art institutes were present at the nominees’ exhibition to appreciate and evaluate the creatuve works by young artists.  The jury – comprised of the nomination committee, representatives of the involved art institutes and media personalities – voted for their favourites based on a variety of criteria, including the general idea being communicated and on-site presentation. Winners will be announced at the ART021 Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair in November.

“These talented young Chinese artists view society and life from a unique perspective. They illustrate the dramatic changes in modern life and the factors that make today’s life so different through their unique artistic creations.” Dr. -Ing Jens Puttfarcken said, “Art is an important force to promote the development of human society. We hope that the life of young artistic talents will experience positive change thanks to our continuous nurturing and support. At the same time, young artistic talents full of vitality and innovation can help promote the development of Chinese contemporary art and even society”.

Young artists blossom with the support of Porsche
The exhibition‘s theme “What is it that makes today‘s LIFE so different” is taken from the artwork “Just what is it that makes today‘s homes so different, so appealing?” by British artist Richard Hamilton who was a leading figure of the Pop Art movement. “Most of the nominated artists are Post-80s and post-90s generation, those young artists often choose to present their art work by using different media themes, narrative angles and methods from traditional ones”. Ms. Kylie Ying said, “Hamilton first exhibited Pop Art in 1956 which is an extremely important landmark for the genre. After decades, a new era of contemporary Chinese art will be opened, which will be lead by groups of young talents thanks to their creativity and vision”.

The various mediums included in the exhibited artworks included painting, sculpture, video, installation, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, ready objects and more. The artists took inspiration from a broad range of disciplines, such as literature, sociology, anthropology, economics, aesthetics and so on. The series of social concerns and comentaries brought up and discussed in the exhibited artworks included: formulated mechanism media questioning; individual identity in the process of globalization; the fragility of humanistic thought under the leap of technology; and emotional alienation in intelligent megacities.

Multiple approaches to develop a diversified system of corporate social responsibility

In 2009, Porsche China launched the “Empowering the Future” corporate social responsibility programme. The support and cultivation of young artistic talents has been one of the core practices of “Empowering the Future”.

At present, Porsche China’s corporate social responsibility projects in the field of art include Porsche‘s “Young Chinese Artist of the Year” and the “Porsche Master Scholarship” projects. Porsche‘s “Young Chinese Artist of the Year” is a professional art contest for young artistic talents for both students and graduates. Expected the young artistic talents nominated by committee, the young artistic talents form each of the five fine art institutions of Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, Hubei Institute of Fine Arts, Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts, China Academy of Art and Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts will be invited. The “Porsche Master Scholarship” receives its funding from Porsche China, is hosted by the Cc Foundation, and will be used to support the education and development of young art students in the institutions cooperating with Porsche‘s “Young Chinese Artist of the Year” programme.

Porsche China is facilitating the cultivation and development of young Chinese artistic talents by providing them with an authoritative art contest and scholarships for art students on campus. By doing so, Porsche China is building a multi-faceted corporate social responsibility system and promoting the development of contemporary Chinese art and society.
Nominees of the 2018-2019 Porsche “Young Chinese Artist of the Year” are as below:
Chen Baoyang, Hao Jinban, Ho Sin Tung, Huang Zihu, Lin Ruixang, Liu Wa, Iris Long / Cedar Zhou, Liu Xinyi, Liu Yujia, Mujin, Ma Qiusha, Miao Ying, Payne Zhu, Shang liang, Wang Tuo, Trevor Yeung, Zhu Xi, Zheng Yuan