[Academic Exchange] Prof. He Chengzhou Lectures on Intermediality and the Reconstruction of Art Theory

(Reporter: Huangfu Shanghua) On the morning of May 28, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., Prof. He Chengzhou, Director of the Institute of Global Humanities at Nanjing University, Distinguished Professor in a major national talent program, and Foreign Member of the European Academy of Sciences, delivered the 220th Yangtze Forum lecture at the School of Art, Wuhan University. The topic was “Intermediality and the Reconstruction of Art Theory.”

Prof. He started the lecture with the question: “What is intermedial art?” He then presented various classic and contemporary examples before proposing his own theoretical framework. He defined two levels and four forms of intermediality. Two levels refer to intracompositional intermediality within the artwork and extracompositional intermediality between artworks. Four forms mean intermedial blending within the work, intermedial referencing, intermedial transformation (adaptation) and transmediality – shared characteristics across media, such as narrative, rhythm, and performativity.

Prof. He then explored four thematic areas: blending of media within artworks, intermedial references, adaptation across media and the performative nature of intermediality.

He concluded with three key insights: A. Intermedial art is an event involving interactions among artists, artworks, creators, and audiences. B. Intermedial art acts as cultural intervention in specific socio-cultural contexts. C. With new technologies, media, and concepts constantly emerging, intermedial art theory is poised to become a major focus of future research.

During the Q&A session, students and faculty engaged with Prof. He on key issues. Drawing on his extensive experience, he responded to questions and encouraged young scholars to seek new scholarly growth points through interdisciplinary, intermedial, and intercultural research.