Zhihai Zhang
Zhang Zhihai (b. 1994, Fuzhou, China) is a contemporary artist and lecturer based in Beijing. He currently serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Fine Arts at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA). He received his BFA, MFA, and PhD from the Oil Painting Department at the Repin Academy of Fine Arts.
His work is a profound exploration of memory, cultural identity, and the intersection of folklore with contemporary life. Centered on his "Menchong" series, Zhang's practice is deeply rooted in the spiritual and social landscape of his hometown, Fuzhou. Through a magical realist lens, he transforms personal memories and local rituals—such as the "Gods' Procession"—into surreal visual narratives. His paintings investigate the coexistence of the sacred and the mundane, using vibrant color and expressive forms to articulate themes of homecoming, collective resilience, and the enduring connection to one's origins.
Hao
Wu Hao (b. 1995, China) is a researcher, curator, and Ph.D. candidate based in Berlin and Beijing, researching narrative methodologies for academic archives through photography. She is currently a third-year Ph.D. candidate in Cross-Cultural Art Management at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) and a Joint Ph.D. Fellow at Freie Universität Berlin, supported by the China Scholarship Council. She holds a Master’s degree in Classical Music Management from the University of Liverpool.
Hao’s practice is grounded in a global cross-cultural context, bridging the gap between theoretical research and on-site exhibition practices. Her work focuses on cross-cultural art management theory, the construction of urban art ecosystems, and the spatial narrative of Chinese artifacts in overseas museums. Through comparative studies of Eastern and Western art, she explores innovative methods for interpreting Chinese cultural heritage abroad and fostering contemporary urban art ecologies. Her research aims to reconstruct the spatial narratives of cross-civilizational dialogues, offering new perspectives on how historical artifacts interact with modern public spaces.
Xinlong Li
Li Xinlong (b. 1991, China) is an emerging realist painter and researcher based in Beijing. He is currently a first-year Ph.D. candidate in Oil Painting Language Studies at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), where he also completed his BFA and MFA.
Li’s practice is deeply rooted in the classical lineage of the Rites of Zhou (Zhouli), reinterpreting ancient philosophies of urban planning, craftsmanship, and lineage through the lens of contemporary Chinese modernization. By synthesizing the narrative logic of documentary filmmaking with rigorous oil painting techniques, he constructs a visual archive of "ordinary guardians"—ranging from urban infrastructure workers and Olympic champions to intangible cultural heritage inheritors. His work transcends mere portraiture, aiming to bridge the agrarian civilization of the past with the maritime connectivity of the Belt and Road Initiative. Through his "Guarding the Land and Inheriting the Flame" series, Li explores the universal human spirit of resilience and duty, fostering a cross-cultural dialogue that highlights the shared dignity of labor across different civilizations.
Yongchun Yang
Yang Yongchun (b. 1998, China) is a visual artist and designer based in Beijing. He is currently pursuing his M.F.A. in Digital Media at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), where he also received his B.F.A. in Visual Communication Design.
Yang’s practice focuses on visual communication and spatial experience, translating complex narratives into compelling visual identities. As a Design Director for major exhibitions like the "Art Corridor in Motion: Beijing Subway Mural Exhibition," he creates comprehensive visual systems that shape public engagement. His work extends to public and commercial projects, including the poster series "Beauty is Diverse" and various branding initiatives, demonstrating his ability to structure visual information and influence how audiences perceive their cultural environment.
Jinjian Zhang
Zhang Jinjian (b. China) is an emerging oil painter based in Beijing. He received his M.F.A. in Oil Painting from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in 2025. His work has been featured in prominent national and international exhibitions, including the Titian International Portrait Painting & Sculpture Competition in Italy (2024), the Art Bridges: Antwerp to Beijing & Back Again exhibition in Belgium (2024), and the Jiangnan as a Painting Chinese Oil Painting Exhibition in Suzhou (2025).
Zhang’s practice explores the depth of "traces" within a two-dimensional plane. Through the layering of mixed media and the orchestration of color, form, and brushstrokes, he creates a dialectical space suspended between 2D and 3D, where traces exist simultaneously as image and material object.
In his recent figurative works, Zhang juxtaposes childhood innocence against grand national narratives. Employing a gridded composition and flattened pictorial space, he gathers iconic botanical symbols from across China to represent diversity. This visual strategy generates a sense of "familiar strangeness," achieving internal coherence through rhythmic unity and reflecting a philosophy of harmony within difference.
Jiaxin Chen
Chen Jiaxin (b. China) is a visual artist and researcher based in Beijing. She holds an M.F.A. in Digital Imaging Art from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), where she also completed her B.F.A. in Fashion Design.
Chen’s practice investigates the aesthetics of technology and the nature of post-human existence through a multidisciplinary approach that encompasses photography, video, and algorithmically generated art. Her work often explores the tension between the organic and the artificial, creating speculative visual worlds that question the boundaries of life, identity, and the body in the digital age.
Her work has been exhibited in prominent venues including the Water Cube and Bird's Nest in Beijing, X Museum, and the "Qian Li Zhi Xing" (Journey of a Thousand Miles) exhibition showcasing the best graduate works from China's top art academies. She was selected for the prestigious 2025 "Excellent Young Chinese Artists" Cultivation Program and has been recognized with awards such as the "Future Youth Award" at the Alibaba D20 AIGC Imaging Competition. Her work is also part of the collection at the CAFA Art Museum.
Yitong Zhao
Runzhe Han
Xinyi Chen
Huang Weihong (b. 1996, China) is a visual artist based in Beijing. She holds an M.F.A. in Mural Art from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), where she also received her B.F.A. in the same discipline.
Huang’s practice is rooted in the traditions of mural art, which she expands through the innovative use of mixed media and ceramic glazes. Her work explores the intersection of color, form, and materiality, often drawing from her extensive research into traditional Chinese murals and her practical experience with high-temperature ceramic firing techniques developed in Jingdezhen. This unique synthesis allows her to translate the monumental scale and narrative depth of mural painting into contemporary, tactile objects.
Her work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions in China and internationally, including at the Tomarelli Art Gallery and Steneby Gallery in Sweden, the Yuan Art Museum in Beijing, and the Qiumo Art Museum in Jingdezhen. Her pieces have been acquired by private collectors and institutions, including the Tomarelli Art Gallery.
Pumu(Weihong) Huang
Zhao Yitong (b. China) is an artist and curator based in Beijing. She holds a B.F.A. in Experimental Art from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), and received her M.F.A. in Overall Art and Transdisciplinary Research from the same institution in 2025.
Zhao’s artistic practice focuses on the interplay between the private and public spheres, exploring the translational space between the two. By uncovering fluid social relationships and underlying emotions, her work delves into the historical shifts and spatial-temporal overlaps embedded within them.
Her work has been featured in prominent platforms in China and internationally, including the 2025 Dali Aha Art Season, the Innovart Festival in Italy, and the CAFA Graduation Exhibition. Alongside her artistic practice, she is actively engaged in curatorial work, serving as the Executive Curator for the 2026 Anyang Yinxu Youth Art Season and the 2025 Shenzhen Bay Eye Family Reading Festival.
Han Runzhe (Jayden) (b. China) is an artist and designer based in Beijing. He received his M.A. in Automotive Design from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in 2025.
His practice explores the intersection of design, technology, and human emotion. Through interactive systems and wearable devices, he investigates how physiological data can be translated into tangible experiences. His work often employs computer vision and sensor technologies to capture and interpret human emotional states, transforming them into haptic feedback or other sensory outputs.
A key project, Flux Matrix, exemplifies this focus. It is a system that captures physiological signals and facial expressions in real-time, classifying emotions and quantifying their intensity. This data is then processed and delivered as tactile feedback through an array of skin-worn actuators, creating a direct, physical dialogue between the user's internal state and the external world.
Chen Xinyi (b. China) is an artist and creative designer based in Shanghai. She holds a B.F.A. in Digital Media Art and an M.A. in Art Therapy Research from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA).
Her practice employs art therapy as a creative methodology, intervening in visual design to address the collective "loss of meaning" and weakened self-perception prevalent in the information age. She advocates for art as a medium for public life narratives and self-exploration, working at the intersection of art, design, psychology, and society.
Chen has applied this approach in various projects, including developing art psychology courses for the VIVA Life Education Foundation and conducting art rehabilitation research for the Golden Wings Foundation. Her work has been recognized with a nomination for the YoungBattle Graduate Award and an invitation to the ARTLINGO 2022 ET Bluebird Dream-Building Program.
RESEARCH & CREATORS
We gather global youth art researchers with both creative talent and critical thinking – not merely creators, but documentarians of local culture and practitioners of cross-civilization dialogue.