On April 9, an international academic exchange event was held at Boxes Art Museum in Songshan Lake, marking the inauguration of the Design Criticism Center (Songshan Lake) and the Manufacturing Aesthetics Joint Laboratory, co-established by the Department of Oil Painting Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and the International School of Design at Dongguan University of Technology. The event brought together Chinese and international artists, scholars, and curators for dialogues on local exploration in contemporary art museums and international collaboration pathways for university-level design disciplines in the region, fostering a convergence of cross-cultural artistic languages and manufacturing logic.

Manufacturing Aesthetics Joint Laboratory

The Laboratory is a joint initiative by the International School of Design (DGUT), the Department of Oil Painting (GAFA), and Boxes Art Museum, aiming to bridge the industry-academia-research gap between artistic creation and design practice. Professor Xu Yanzhuan, principal leader of the International School of Design, stated that the Laboratory marks Dongguan's transition from "world factory" to "aesthetic manufacturing." By infusing art and design into production, it enhances the cultural value of products and reshapes the city's international image and cultural identity.

Design Criticism Center (Songshan Lake)

The newly inaugurated Design Criticism Center will provide a distinctive aesthetic framework for the Greater Bay Area's new industrial art and culture, fostering integration between assembly lines and studios, function and poetry. Professor Liu Ke, Associate Dean of the School of Painting at GAFA, noted that the academic character of an art museum is built through sustained programming and international exchange. Boxes Art Museum actively invites leading international creators, embedding local academic strengths into the global art landscape. The local support from DGUT's International School of Design is seen as essential to closing the loop in teaching, research, and international outreach, positioning the collaboration as a synergistic model within the Greater Bay Area's art ecosystem.