On January 4, 2025, the Spring-Time Contemporary Art Research Center, located in Beijing’s 798 Art District, launched its inaugural exhibition, "Art as Documentation." Organised in collaboration with the UNSW Judith Neilson Chair of Contemporary Art and the Cheng Art Museum, this landmark event marks the official opening of the Center.

Curated by Professor Chunchen Wang, founder of the Center and a Visiting Professor with the Chair, the exhibition represents a pivotal moment in preserving the historical and cultural memory of contemporary Chinese art.

Spring-Time Contemporary Art Research Center
Professor Chunchen Wang

The exhibition brings together nearly 1,000 publications from leading art institutions, including the Central Academy of Fine Arts, UCCA, and regional art museums, creating a comprehensive archive that reflects the evolution of contemporary art over the past decades. By highlighting the importance of physical documentation in a digital age, the exhibition raises critical questions about the enduring value of paper-based archives and their role in preserving art history.

During the exhibition's opening forum, experts discussed the role of documentation in art history, emphasising the need for systematic archiving to support future research. Panelists highlighted the trinity of creation, exhibition, and publication as essential components of artistic practice, urging the art community to prioritise the preservation of both physical and digital archives.

The Spring-Time Contemporary Art Research Center is an academic institution that integrates art archive collection, exhibition curation, and academic research. Its aim is to establish a new type of academic research platform that aligns with societal development, fostering a collaborative mechanism between artists, curators, scholars, and art institutions both in China and internationally.

To learn more about the collaboration between Professor Chunchen Wang and the UNSW Judith Neilson Chair of Contemporary Art, click here.

Image credit: CARC