Forum | Spring in the Changbai Mountain: What qualifies it to be considered “new”?

  The “Spring in the Changbai Mountain: What qualifies it to be considered ‘new’?” forum, jointly organized by the Northeast Asia Art Archive (NAAA) and “ARTDBL,” was held on April 20 in the Changbai Mountain Residency Project Space in Antu County, Jilin Province. This forum marks the beginning of a series of efforts to revisit and scrutinize the spaces, locales, and landscapes we inhabit, thereby initiating actions and imaginations for the future between history and nature. We established “New” as the keyword for our inaugural forum. “New” represents not only a beginning but also a belief, an expectation, and confidence. Through a series of actions that anchor the place and embrace the imagination, we hope to cultivate the local culture and through continuous in-depth fieldwork, on site creation, interdisciplinary dialogue, research and publication, open up the possibilities of communication between the northeastern borderlands and the world. Opening up a channel for local narratives in the boarded up and centralised knowledge system.   The hosts: Zhong Gang – Founder and Chief Editor of ARTDBL Li Jiaqi – Founder of Northeast Asia Art Archive (NAAA)   The Feature speakers: Feng Boyi – Independent Curator Shen Shaomin – Artist Yu Xiaofeng – Former Party Secretary and Chairman of the Yanbian Prefecture Political Consultative Conference Zhang Dan – Professor and Director of Experimental Art Department of LuXun Academy of Fine Arts Yu Guangyi – Film Director Pang Wei – Poet and Landscape Architect Ji Dahai – Founder and Executive Director of Yalu River Art Museum Xie Congyang – Researcher of Asia Art Archive (AAA)   As the initiator of the “Spring of Baishan” forum, our goal is to serve as a channel to amplify the region’s voice by deeply exploring and showcasing its cultural heritage to address gaps in the current art landscape. In line with these efforts, NAAA is excited to announce two forthcoming initiatives that build upon the discussions held at the forum. First, we will consolidate the findings and dialogues into a comprehensive publication, capturing the depth and breadth of the conversations to facilitate ongoing discourse and make them accessible to a broader audience. Concurrently, we will launch the “Voices of Northeast” interview series, the first publication stemming from the forum’s discussions, which will explore the personal and professional perspectives of the contributors, further investigating their influence on the cultural dynamics of Northeast Asia. These projects not only aim to document the achievements of the “Spring of Baishan” forum but also to foster future collaborations and discussions that extend beyond regional boundaries, ensuring the creation of a sustainable artistic ecosystem throughout Northeast Asia.