I began to take an interest in the clay statues made by our ancestors when I was young. Although I did not know enough about the information and mysteries contained in them, the images, stories, and methods in the clay always attracted me and enabled my mind to travel through the long years and feel the undying spirit in them.

Mr. Liu Shiming and his pottery sculptures exert a subtle and enduring influence on my art studies. Under his influence, apart from studying systematically the concepts and methods of Western classical sculpture in the Academy, I also keep an eye on and ponder over the indigenous local cultural evolution and its modern development, thus maintaining a clear understanding of the modern Chinese sculptural narrative deeply impacted by Western modernity. This is certainly due to the unique practices and deeds of predecessors such as Liu, and I am grateful to them for establishing the foundation for my comparative thinking.
The great achievements and historical experiences produced in the birth and development of modern Chinese sculpture over the past century have made us see our own path increasingly clearly, and it is also very necessary to pay attention to and reconceptualize the path taken by artists like Mr. Liu and its value. For this reason, we include his case in the research that combs through sculptural history and builds the discipline of modern Chinese sculpture, in order to gain a three-dimensional and comprehensive knowledge of the achievements and experiences of the development of modern Chinese sculpture through a deeper study and discussion.

As the director of this academic project, I have a deep appreciation of the meaning that Liu and his art have for it. His art archive is like a key that allows us to open the door to China’s original sculptural art and experience. Based on the conditions and perspective of the project and starting from Liu’s case, we would probe into and reflect on his unique “Chinese methods” in sculpture creation that is rooted in Chinese social and cultural contexts and is filled with a real concern and humanistic care. We hope we could focus on modern art practices and experiences in modern Chinese sculpture development that diverge from Western narratives of modernity through a series of exhibitions and research, thereby striving to build a system of creation and study for Chinese contemporary art that truly reflects Chinese cultural qualities.

China has undergone such a tremendous social change through reform and opening up in the modern era, which will surely bring about a richer and more profound insight and value implementation. The formation of Chinese characteristics is the most important topic of this era, and in this exhibition we present today all the visions behind it which in a larger sense, are both part of this grand social practice and a reflection and exploration of this topic.

Professor Wang Shaojun
Deputy Party Secretary of the Central Academy of Fine Arts
Beijing, December 7th, 2019