AADTHU undergraduate works go on display at Tsinghua art museum-AADTHU

AADTHU undergraduate works go on display at Tsinghua art museum

2025.06.13

The 2025 Undergraduate Exhibition of the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University (AADTHU) opened at the university's art museum in Beijing on June 7. The exhibition will run until June 19.

Guests attend the opening of the 2025 AADTHU undergraduate exhibition at the Tsinghua University Art Museum in Beijing, June 7, 2025.

Guo Yong, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Tsinghua University Committee, addressed more than 200 guests gathered at the Tsinghua University Art Museum. He said the graduation exhibition is not only a summary of the students' academic journey but also a new starting point for engaging with society.

Guo noted that the 2025 cohort of undergraduates are a very special group, as these students entered the academy at a time when art creation and art education still largely followed classical models. During their studies, however, they have experienced the full arrival of the AI era.

"I want to remind you that the passion, character and feelings of the creator — the moments of inspiration intertwined with pain and joy — are the soul of art and rights that creators must never yield."

He then urged graduating students to draw inspiration from real life, remain keenly perceptive of society and respond thoughtfully to its complexities. He called on them to carry forward a strong sense of national sentiment and responsibility, and to bring the aesthetic literacy and cultural conviction cultivated at AADTHU into the wider world.

"With a humanistic heart, you should reflect the spirit of the times and let the spark of art ignite your journey of creation," he said.

Leaders, teachers and students from Tsinghua University and AADTHU launch the 2025 AADTHU Undergraduate Exhibition at the Tsinghua University Art Museum in Beijing, June 7, 2025.

Ma Sai, dean of AADTHU, added in his speech that the undergraduate stage is a crucial period for academic enlightenment and the shaping of one's spirit. He noted that the graduation exhibition reflects the students' aesthetic expression, their understanding of complex issues, and their commitment to the spirit of the times and public values.

Qin Chuan, secretary of the CPC AADTHU Committee, said that AADTHU continues to deepen education and teaching reforms, firmly promoting the integration of arts and science as well as interdisciplinary collaboration while balancing technological development with humanistic foundations. He hopes students will transform their professional knowledge into practical power, actively respond to public concerns, promote outstanding Chinese culture, and while inheriting tradition, boldly innovate to become talented artists who lead the trends of the times.

Later, professor Gu Liming, on behalf of the graduate work supervisors, encouraged students to set long-term goals and keep setting goals, so that the spirit of exploration cultivated during their studies will accompany them for life. Graduate representative Gao Xinyuan expressed her determination to serve society and promote national development through art.

The exhibition showcases works characterized by the integration of arts and science and cross-disciplinary innovation, featuring more than 1,600 works by over 260 undergraduate graduates from nine departments — including textile and fashion design, ceramic design, visual communication, environmental art design, industrial design, arts and crafts, information art and design, painting, and sculpture. This also marks the inaugural public exhibition of all undergraduate works at the Tsinghua University Art Museum, a nationally accredited first-class museum.

Artworks on display at the 2025 AADTHU Undergraduate Exhibition at the Tsinghua University Art Museum in Beijing, June 7, 2025.

In an interview with China.org.cn, Qin said the exhibition showed new explorations in the integration of art and science, and the students' works made extensive use of the latest technological methods to enrich the content and form they wanted to express. Though still developing, the students have shown strong artistic sensitivity and engagement with real-life issues and social topics.

"No matter how you use it, the most original creativity and theme of the work should mainly reflect the student's own creativity or professional judgment," he told China.org.cn. "During the creation process, the student must be the one mastering the technology, rather than simply using technology to generate the result."

He added that they encourage more of a fusion of the virtual and the real in expression, "because AI represents a way for us to explore new possibilities in expressing art and understanding the world," he explained. "However, we hope these possibilities will be combined with reality, life and people's genuine concerns. So our direction is to promote more integration in this area in the future."