China Young Artists Project

The China Young Artists Project (CYAP) was launched in 2011, with the support from the China International Culture Association (CICA), China Arts and Entertainment Group Ltd., Beijing DemeiYijia Cultural Industry, and Beijing Qingyi Cultural Communication Company. The project, which is also supported by the international jury of experts and domestic professional executives, is a long-term plan to help young artists in China.

The project aims to find and back the young generation of Chinese artists and promote development and innovation through international activities, cooperation and communication. The CYAP also intends to break down the old boundaries and let artists have more exchanges. Focusing on professionalism and research, it supports professionally curated activities across the word, including group exhibitions, solos, publishing, seminars, lectures and workshops. The projects also engage in many cultural years, international biennales and cultural festivals.

The CYAP has organized five collections and selections of art works by young artists, with more than 10 well-known figures in both domestic and international art circles as judges. The event selected around 400 young artists and helped them to hold exhibitions and selected the outstanding artists to go abroad and have more creations.

On December 16, 2011, the CYAP held a press conference to issue invitation to national young artists. And the final review session was held in Beijing in May 2012. A total of 135 young artists were selected from 1,328 applicants by a jury of nine experts for the first round of the support plan. The review experts were Fan Di’an, Wu Hong, Zeng Fanzhi, Hong Huang, Yang Xinyi, Martin Roth Alexandra Munroe and Fumio Nanjo.

The project held a series of exhibitions in many cities, such as Beijing and Moscow. The events included I CAN PLAY Art Festival and other art shows. The CYAP also supported the selected artists to participate in about 20 exhibitions and cultural exchanges both home and abroad, including the biennales in Italy, Spain, the Netherland, Germany and the US.

In 2014, the project selected another 75 young artists specialized in ink paintings, providing them opportunities to show the world how the ancient Chinese art genre rejuvenated in modern China.

I CAN PLAY Art Festival.

Apart from curating exhibitions, the CYAP organized a series of master classes for the selected artists. Through visits and exchanges, the project had closer relations with the young artists and endeavored to provide better support to solve their problems and meet their requirements. Meanwhile, the CYAP established a database of the young artists, which helped the young Chinese artists have more chance to carry out exchanges with international art circles.