Art/ Start/ Hard/Heart/

"Art/ Start/ Hard/Heart/" is a curated experimental video program for EXiM 2023 - Hong Kong Experimental Video Festival in Macao. EXiM invited students and young artists to screen their works, which reminded me of the adjective ‘academic.’ Academicism originated from the artistic style of the French Academy of Art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which focused on realism, historical and mythological themes, traditional techniques and academic standards, and was considered a professional education. However, this kind of creative style has been criticized for its idealistic clichés, lack of creativity and detachment from real life. Academicism represents the mainstream and core of power. Therefore, there were Impressionist artists who were against the academic style. But now, experimental artworks in the academy are on the fringe, exploring non-mainstream and non-storytelling artistic languages. Creators have time, space and support to conduct in-depth research in art schools. Through repeated experiments, they try to break through established frameworks and create alternative works. Some of them advocate a non-commercial independent spirit. Their works are about self- exploration, which are sincere and self-reflective. Their attitudes are open and accommodating of different and diverse viewpoints. Many excellent works are often produced in art schools, and "assignments" cannot be underestimated.
The artists selected for EXiM all have academic backgrounds. Some of the selected works are those they finished after graduating several years, and some are their graduation works. They are all sincere and closely related to the lives of the creators.