The Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University (AADTHU) officially opened its 2023 postgraduate exhibition at the university's art museum in Beijing on May 19, heralding the commencement of this year's graduation season.

The 2023 Postgraduate Exhibition of the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University (AADTHU) officially opens at the Tsinghua University Art Museum in Beijing, May 19, 2023. [Photo courtesy of AADTHU]

Over 180 postgraduates from the academy exhibited their artworks at the Tsinghua University Art Museum, the academy's multi-purpose hall, and its art gallery.

The displayed works span an array of topics, such as population aging, rural revitalization, public well-being, designs to uplift people's sense of happiness, the integration of traditional fiber weaving with innovative programming, novel models of generating texts and images through AI-generated content (AIGC) technology, and fashionable wearable designs utilizing human-computer interactions, among others.

During the opening ceremony, Ma Sai, dean of the academy, praised the resilience of the soon-to-graduate students in overcoming the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and for successfully adapting to a teaching-studying model that integrates online and offline practices.

Ma marked 2023 as a year of groundbreaking advancements in artificial intelligence, exemplified by technologies like ChatGPT, which presents the art and design sector with new opportunities and unforeseen challenges. Reflecting upon the exhibited graduation artworks, Ma agreed that the 2023 graduates had made valuable strides in blending art and science.

Qin Chuan, Party secretary of the academy, recounted that the AADTHU's predecessor, the Central Academy of Arts & Design, was founded in 1956 to cultivate artistic and design talents to meet the needs of the country's development and people's aspirations for a better quality of life.

Highlighting the collaborative efforts of graduates, their teachers, the academy and the university, Qin said that 2023 graduates have produced artworks that exhibit both aesthetic insight and creative thinking. He emphasized their fusion of art and science, their focus on the application of technology, and their underlying commitment to humanistic care for society.

The 2023 Postgraduate Exhibition of the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University (AADTHU) officially opens at the Tsinghua University Art Museum in Beijing, May 19, 2023. [Photo/China.org.cn]

The in-person AADTHU postgraduate art exhibition will run until June 2.

Besides the AADTHU postgraduate art exhibition, the academy plans to launch an in-person undergraduate exhibition on June 9, as well as online exhibitions for both postgraduates and undergraduates,which are also set to debut on June 9.

The AADTHU currently comprises 11 departments, focusing on a wide range of disciplines such as textile and fashion design, ceramic design, visual communication design, environmental art design, industrial design, information art & design, painting, sculpture, arts and crafts, art history, and basic teaching and research. It also hosts offices related to research, international exchanges and art galleries.

The academy offers over 20 undergraduate majors, confers doctoral degrees in artistic theories, fine arts and design science, and boasts post-doctoral study centers.