Exhibition View of “Energy and Civilization: Science & Art · Fusion Future”

On September 14, CAFAM unveiled “Energy and Civilization: Science & Art · Fusion Future”, the first museum-level exhibition themed on “controllable nuclear fusion” in China. Jointly launched by the Central Academy of Fine Arts, the Institute of Energy of Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, and the Hefei Municipal People’s Government, the exhibition brings together top scientists in the field of nuclear fusion and leading figures in the art circle. From an interdisciplinary perspective, “Energy and Civilization” combines scientific achievements with contemporary artistic expressions, establishing a complete knowledge chain from scientific issues to artistic representations, and then to public cognition.

Exhibition View of “Energy and Civilization: Science & Art · Fusion Future”

Focusing on the evolution of energy technologies and the progress of civilization, the exhibition particularly highlights the breakthroughs in controllable nuclear fusion technology. It comprehensively demonstrates the scientific principles of nuclear fusion by integrating artistic expressions with the construction of a knowledge map spanning three dimensions: history, science, and art. From the historical perspective, it reviews the evolution of energy technologies from fire-making by drilling wood to nuclear fusion, and presents the arduous journey of China’s nuclear fusion research. From the scientific perspective, it provides a panoramic interpretation of the principles of controllable nuclear fusion and showcases the course of scientific exploration through precious scientific relics such as EAST and tokamaks. From the artistic perspective, through large-scale installation works like Lightning, Sea, and Building the Sun, it transforms abstract scientific principles into visual spectacles, stimulating viewers’ sensory experiences and reflections.

Lyu Pinjing, Vice President of the Central Academy of Fine Arts

In recent years, the Central Academy of Fine Arts has continuously developed its disciplinary layout and invested efforts in the field of sci-tech art, empowering technological innovation through art and leading industrial transformation through aesthetics, making art an important force driving social innovation and shaping the future form of civilization. “We firmly believe that the integration of art and technology is an important direction for contemporary cultural innovation and expansion of humanism. This exhibition is a vivid practice of this vision: transforming the invisible energy into tangible visual perception, the unity between the rational thinking of science and the sensory creation of art can be achieved through synchronous resonance,” said Lyu Pinjing, Vice President of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

Hu Haomin, Executive Vice Dean of the Institute of Energy of Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center

This exhibition coincides with the first National Science Popularization Month. “The sci-tech art in collaboration with laboratory transforms originally abstract scientific concepts into tangible and touchable experiences, injecting artistic cultural expression into the installations of ‘controllable nuclear fusion’ and providing a new paradigm for spreading Chinese scientific stories,” said Hu Haomin, Executive Vice Dean of the Institute of Energy of Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center.

Zhang Zhaohong, a representative of the curatorial team and a teacher in the Sculpture Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts

“From the initial preparation to the final implementation, it took us nearly a year. The exhibition theme consists of two parts: one is ‘the ability to create the sun,’ with controllable nuclear fusion as the scientific foundation, illustrating how it can fundamentally change the course of human civilization; the second is to envision what our lives would be like if controllable nuclear fusion is realized and electricity costs drop to one cent,” said Zhang Zhaohong, a representative of the curatorial team and a teacher in the Sculpture Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

Jin Jun, Director of CAFA Art Museum hosted the opening ceremony

The Group Photo of Honored Guests

The exhibition has integrated scientific expression with artistic perception through a number of installation works, inspiring visitors’ in-depth thinking and sensory experience of nuclear fusion technology.

A series of nuclear fusion scientific devices has been selected to showcase the precision and profundity of the physical world and forming a “chain of material evidence for the evolution of civilization”.From China’s first tokamak device to the EAST device, these precious scientific instruments spanning nearly two centuries link key historical nodes in China’s nuclear fusion research. By exhibiting them,“Energy and Civilization” enables visitors to deeply understand China’s remarkable achievements in nuclear fusion research and its leading position in the global energy science and technology sector.

Original exhibit of the EAST Vacuum Chamber Remote Operation System

Screenshot of demonstration video for CRAFT, the remote operation of the vacuum chamber of China's Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) 

The installation Lightning carries forward the design concept of the Tesla coil. It is both a reproduction of Nikola Tesla’s great invention at the end of the 19th century and a link connecting history, the present, and the future. This work not only presents the ultra-high temperature environment required for nuclear fusion but also, through intense sounds and collisions of light and shadow, metaphorically embodies the profound driving forces of nature. It engages in a dialogue with nuclear fusion—humanity’s ultimate energy dream—both visually and philosophically.

Installation View of Lightning at CAFA Art Museum

Sea vividly presents a future scenario where seawater is converted into energy through 50 tons of artificial seawater, highlighting the enormous potential of controllable nuclear fusion and demonstrating its value as an ideal ultimate energy source. Building the Sun channels outdoor sunlight into the art museum via optical fiber devices, then projects it through light concentration to create a 5-meter-diameter “artificial sun”. This not only reproduces the energy form of sunlight but also echoes the scene of 50 tons of seawater in the exhibition hall, helping visitors intuitively understand the enormous potential of nuclear fusion energy. Through these works, the exhibition breaks away from the form of traditional popular science exhibitions and creates an interactive space for art and science experiences.

Installation View of Sea

Exhibition View of Sea at CAFA Art Museum

Installation View of Building the Sun

The exhibition also features a number of interactive experience installations, such as “Fusion Droplets · Decoding Civilization (Seawater Card)”, which is a participatory science popularization activity: each participant is a transmitter of the energy of civilization. Children can personally experience the technological miracle of “from a drop of seawater to infinite energy” through the process of extracting seawater → activating the content of documents → piecing together the energy civilization code wall.

Installation View of Song of Distant Sun

Exhibition View of Song of Distant Sun at CAFA Art Museum

This exhibition is included in the series of events for the 2025 National Science Popularization Month, the 2025 Beijing International Design Week, and the 2025 3rd China (Hefei) International Science and Art Week. It will tour cities such as Hefei, Chongqing, Shenzhen, and Shanghai in the future. The exhibition will reach a wider group of teenagers through forms such as “science and art workshops at campuses” and “themed online classes”.

Exhibition View of “Energy and Civilization: Science & Art · Fusion Future”

About the Exhibition

Dates: September 14 - October 12, 2025

Venue: 1st Floor Exhibition Hall, CAFA Art Museum

Exhibition Working Team:

Academic Advisors: Lin Mao, Li Jiangang

Invited Advisors: Qiu Zhijie, Hu Haomin

Chief Coordinator: Pan Chenghui

Administrative Coordinators: Wu Yajuan, Wang Shu

Chief Curators: Wu Zheng, Kong Defeng

Exhibition Directors: Jin Jun, Han Wenchao

Exhibition Coordinators: Gao Gao, Hai Jun

Curatorial Team: Zhang Zhaohong, Shen Xingyi, Su Lei, Shen Cong, Chen Yu, Qu Chengming, He Qiuyan

Executive Curators: Cai Miaomiao, Liu Xiangqi, Zhou You, Hu Yiwei, Wu Yingqi, Zhu Zixiu, Wu Zhendong, Hu Manlu

Exhibition Coordinators: Wang Jing, Liu Xiyan

Host Organizations:

Central Academy of Fine Arts
Institute of Energy, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center
Hefei Municipal People's Government

Organizing Units:
Art Museum of the Central Academy of Fine Arts
Science and Art Joint Laboratory, Institute of Energy, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center
Big Sun (Hefei) Culture and Technology Co., Ltd.

Co-organizers:

Plasma Physics Institute, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences

School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China

Science Popularization China

Department of Sculpture, Central Academy of Fine Arts

School of Experimental Art and Technology Art, Central Academy of Fine Arts

School of Design, Central Academy of Fine Arts

School of Urban Design, Central Academy of Fine Arts

Office of Scientific Research, Central Academy of Fine Arts

Institute of Science and Technology Art, Central Academy of Fine Arts

School of Design and Art, Beijing Institute of Technology

School of Future Design, Beijing Normal University

Professional Committee of Popular Science Culture Industry, China Society for Science and Technology Journalism

Key Laboratory of Industrial and Information Technology for Innovation Design in Industrial Manufacturing Art

Supporting Organizations:

Beijing International Design Week

Beijing ByteDance Network Technology Co., Ltd.

Epson Light & Shadow Research Institute

Shenzhen Seetao Optoelectronics Co., Ltd.

Beijing Yuanlichen Superconducting Technology Co., Ltd. 

Jimu Laboratory

Tianyu ARTECH

Anhui Benlun Technology Co., Ltd.

Beijing Hegu Gongchuang Technology Co., Ltd.

Courtesy of CAFA Art Museum, edited by CAFA ART INFO.

Article Source：https://www.cafa.com.cn/en/news/details/8332820