Author: Liu Zhengzheng
Recently, the 2025 “Free Spirit” Paris Contemporary Art Prize concluded at the Carrousel du Louvre in France. Sun Lijun, professor at the Beijing Film Academy and director of the China Animation Research Institute, won the silver prize for his ink painting “Bird” under the pseudonym “Fan Beilu,” becoming the only Chinese artist to win an award using traditional ink painting techniques. His work, which blends Eastern philosophy with contemporary spirit, received high praise from the international jury.
This year’s Paris Contemporary Art Prize, initiated by the French International Artists and Designers Association, aims to “discover the spirit of independent art” and attracted numerous artists from 23 countries. After selection by an academic committee comprised of International Emmy Award winner Jérôme-Cecil Auvré and others, Sun Lijun’s 45×45cm ink painting “Bird” stood out from a vast pool of entries, joining Han Zhongren’s abstract paintings and Zeng Hao’s surrealist works as winners.
It is understood that “Bird” uses natural ink wash as its core creative technique. Through the free flow, diffusion, and collision of ink on rice paper, it constructs a chaotic visual atmosphere that resembles neither mountains nor clouds nor birds, with only a bird image outlined in the upper left corner as a finishing touch. The work integrates the spiritual core of “vitality and spirit” in Eastern aesthetics with contemporary abstract language, reflecting the creative wisdom of “juxtaposing control and loss of control” and subtly echoing the uncertainty of “meaning generation” in the age of artificial intelligence, prompting viewers to reflect on both the origin of the universe and their contemporary spiritual predicament.
At the award ceremony, Jérôme-Cécile Auvré, when presenting the award to Sun Lijun, specifically pointed out that the work successfully broke down the boundaries between traditional ink painting and contemporary art, achieving cross-cultural emotional resonance through minimalist visual language. French audiences showed great interest in the imagery of “birds flying in chaos” in the work, believing that this symbol accurately captured the state of human spiritual quest in an era of information overload.
In an on-site interview, Sun Lijun stated that the vitality of ink painting lies in its response to the present. The creation of “Bird” is a “dialogue between tradition and modernity,” and winning the award proves that Eastern aesthetics can provide a unique perspective for global art.
It is reported that the award-winning works will be exhibited in the Carrousel du Louvre until the end of October. Industry insiders believe that Sun Lijun’s winning of international awards with his ink paintings not only provides a practical model for the international dissemination of traditional Chinese art, but also highlights the unique value and dialogue capability of Eastern aesthetics in the context of contemporary art.
2025 Free Spirit Contemporary Art Prize in Paris