Theme Overview

In the global artistic context, historical sites are not only witnesses to civilization but also crucial arenas for cross-cultural dialogue and knowledge production. The intervention of contemporary art not only responds to their historical significance but also reshapes the contemporary cultural value of heritage through multi-media practices and site interactions. This symposium, themed "Echoes Through Time and Space," gathers scholars and artists to explore how contemporary art constructs new visual languages and art historical narratives within the context of historical and cultural heritage.

The symposium will focus on the following topics:

Artistic Creation and Historical Relics

How do artists utilize objects, recycled materials, and cultural relics in their creations, and how does this process lead to cultural reinterpretation?

Exhibition Strategies and Temporal-Spatial Concepts

How can contemporary art exhibitions be practiced within the spaces of historical and cultural heritage? How can exhibition formats reshape the audience's understanding of history and the contemporary?

Temporality and "Anachronism"

How does contemporary art expand its cultural dimensions through the interweaving of different historical periods? How can the reinterpretation of historical sites in contemporary artistic creation be understood?

In recent years, exhibition practices in China have increasingly focused on the interaction between contemporary art and cultural heritage, driving the advancement of curatorial practices and research on the temporality of art. Based on the theoretical framework of "anachronism" and drawing on discussions by scholars such as Alois Riegl on the value of cultural relics, this symposium will analyze how contemporary art intersects with traditional culture and reconstructs its meaning within the process of historical change.

Guest Participants

Scholars and artists in attendance: Chen Yan, Chu Xin, Guo Xiaoli, Li Feng, Liu Jianhua, Lu Mingjun, Pang Hailong, Wu Hongliang, Xie Xiaoze, Zhou Shiyang (in alphabetical order by surname)

Convenor: Gao Yuan

Symposium Planning: Fan Bairing

Conference Schedule

The symposium will be divided into morning and afternoon sessions, with each guest giving a 20-minute presentation, followed by a 1-hour roundtable discussion on the multiple dimensions of contemporary art within historical contexts.

Additionally, on the second day of the symposium, the Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum has specially invited Professor Zhang Shansheng from the Dunhuang Studies Institute at Lanzhou University to deliver an extended lecture at Fudan University. Focusing on the images of Dunhuang grottoes, historical and cultural heritage, and their contemporary research, this lecture will provide a deeper perspective for academic exchange.

Conference Date

March 29, 2025

Conference Venue

Changyang Creation Valley, Building C4, 1st Floor Creation Valley Theater