In December 2022, the "Material Thinking" 1st International Contemporary Materials Art Biennial, spearheaded and hosted by Tsinghua University, debuted across the twin cities of Qingdao and Beijing. The inaugural exhibition received over two thousand submissions from more than 80 countries and regions worldwide. Ultimately, 168 pieces/sets of artwork representing 58 countries and regions across Asia, Europe, the Americas, Oceania, and Africa were curated for exhibition. This mix of extensive global participation and rigorous review of the submitted artworks laid a solid foundation for the exhibition.

The exhibition highlights the concept of redefining and understanding contemporary art through a material lens, establishing a theoretical framework based on the philosophical viewpoints of "materials, new materials, and new materialism." The exhibition seeks to reconnect with the essence of art by reintroducing the primacy of "material". Artworks, fundamentally material entities, transcend technologies, systems, ideologies, cultures, concepts, and styles, serving as gateways to realms of existence and truth. In pursuit of advancing contemporary art, we advocate a return to materials, not only as a response to the overemphasis on abstract concepts prevailing in contemporary art, but also with the hope of exploring different possibilities and receiving diverse voices through a material perspective.

For the second edition of the biennial, we are collaborating with the People's Government of Karamay City, Xinjiang. This partnership allows us to explore the cultural tapestry of Xinjiang, the western frontier of China, with an international outlook rooted in contemporary materials art. This exhibition is more than a cultural project benefiting the people, it also aims to immerse contemporary materials artists in the unique regional culture, customs, and natural landscapes of Karamay. We anticipate that this encounter will ignite new ideas and insights for contemporary materials art, enriching this touring exhibition with a broader scope of influence, vision, and vitality, which also demonstrates the significance of "materials and locality." We eagerly look forward to more artists and scholars dedicated to materials art creation and research joining us, writing the future of materials art together.

Tsinghua University

Xinjiang Karamay Municipal Government

Academy of Arts and Design, Tsinghua University

Xinjiang Karamay Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau

Contemporary Art Institute, Academy of Arts and Design, Tsinghua University

September-December 2024

Karamay Art Museum & Culture Center

Peng Gang

Qin Chuan, Ma Sai

Fang Xiaofeng

Zhang Gan

Kelly Liang

National and international artists who wish to submit works for consideration should follow these requirements:

① pictures of the work (Each artist submits at most 5 pictures of one work with the image size during 5M to 10M. All the submitted images’ resolution should be more than 300dpi.)(Each artist may submit a maximum of two works. Complete one entry form for each work.)

② application form 

③ The artist's resume and one artist photo

All required files should be sent to the registrar’s email:

imasthu@gmail.com

Submission deadline: June 20, 2024