On 21 November, the “Walking Brush · China-Africa Digital Art Exhibition” organized by Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Zhejiang Normal University (ZJNU), and Jinhua Municipal People's Government, opened in Jinhua. The Exhibition is undertaken by Jinhua Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism, and the College of Creative Culture and Communication, ZJNU, and co-sponsored by the National Eco-Industrial Design Institute (EIDI).

 

As a key session of the “2022 China (Zhejiang) Forum on China-Africa Economic and Trade Relations and China-Africa Cultural Cooperation and Exchange Week”, the Exhibition aims to improve the cultural recognition between China and Africa by digital art works which well combined Chinese and African elements, so that an “art bridge” could be built up for the friendship between China and Africa. School leaders, such as the Party Secretary of ZJNU, Deng Mengzhuang, Dean of the Research Institute, ZJNU, Zhang Mingzhuo, and Director of the Institute of African Studies, ZJNU, Liu Hongwu etc., participated in the opening ceremony of the Forum and visited the Exhibition. The person-in-charge of the Exhibition, Dean of the College of Creative Culture and Communication, ZJNU, also the Dean of ZJNU Branch of EIDI, Shi Juntian introduced the Exhibition and explained the major items on display as a commentator.   

 

Founded on 23 March 2022, the Zhejiang Normal University Branch of the National Eco-Industrial Institute is a joint entity co-established by the EIDI and ZJNU, which focuses on carrying out industry-academia-research cooperation in the areas of digital art, AI-generated digital art, talent cultivation, innovative and creative design etc. The hosting of the Exhibition has leveraged the strengths in discipline and professional technique of both parties, all exhibits are innovated and produced by students of the College of Creative Culture and Communication, ZJNU by applying digital art and design creation platform and 2.5 Dimensional printing technique of EIDI.

 

The Exhibition particularly underlines the impact of AI techniques that has made to  the artistic expression of African stories in Chinese style or Chinese stories in African style. Hopefully the discovery could trigger more people to pay close attention to digital art, and develop further insights into digital art, cultural exchange between China and Africa, and the development of digital industry.     

 

The EIDEI will take initiatives to cooperate with other higher education institutes and enterprises to jointly promote digital art and the industry-academia-research development of design by the activation of digital art and design to traditional culture, substantial economy empowerment, in order to achieve sustainable development of traditional culture and substantial economy, and effectively improve the vitality and life value of industries.