On May 12, the themed symposium Integrating Ink Wash and Cinematography, Exploring Poetic Animation – Ink Animation Short Film Creation with Director Dmitry Geller took place at Jilin Animation Institute, organized by the Animation Research Institute and the School of Animation Arts. Teachers from the School of Animation Arts attended the event alongside Dmitry Geller, a distinguished visiting professor of JAI and renowned Russian animation director. Dmitry is a winner of top international animation awards including the Golden Monkey Award for Best Animated Short and the Grand Prize at Hiroshima International Animation Festival. His masterpieces include Who Will Be Buried, Cat or Mouse, Small Pond Under the Great Wall, Fish, Swimmers and Boats, Ink Chaos, and Ma Yuan Watching Waves. His works blend Eastern and Western romantic philosophy into poetic imagery through flowing black, white and color ink visuals.
Centered on the essence of animation, the symposium reflected on animation’s artistic forms, aesthetics, cultural depth and creative practice. It aimed to build cross-cultural poetic narratives through shared audiovisual language, boost inheritance and innovative development of animation art, and create a high-level dialogue platform between faculty, students and world-class animation masters.
Imagery Beyond Form: Exploring Aesthetic Evolution Rooted in Original Imagination
Dmitry shared his creative journey and highlighted I saw mice burying a cat; his debut collaboration with JAI faculty and students. He absorbs cinematic techniques worldwide yet stresses transformation rather than mechanical copying, advocating pure, non-commercial artistic expression.
I saw mice burying a cat
He regards hand-drawing as an emotional bond linking creators, works and audiences, holding that digital tools should serve artistic connotation instead of diluting creative warmth. His cross-cultural creations avoid superficial cultural element splicing; instead, they organically integrate Russian narrative traditions with Chinese ink wash aesthetics and natural philosophy to deliver universally resonant animation language for global audiences.
Analyzing his representative works, he illustrated how Eastern aesthetics merge with modern animation.I saw mice burying a catreinterprets a classic fable with blank space and metaphors to discuss coexistence of life, brimming with oriental artistic conception and philosophy.10000 Ugly Inkboltscombines ink charm with modern digital technology via dots, lines and imagery to interpret ancient Chinese cosmology and painting spirit.
10000 Ugly Inkbolts
Rhythm Beyond Rhyme: Upholding Creative Integrity amid Art and Technology Integration
JAI teachers presented multiple original animation projects for in-depth academic exchange with Dmitry. From character design, style control, scene construction to thematic expression, Dmitry delivered detailed reviews and practical optimization advice on artistic innovation, visual presentation and character shaping, broadening participants’ creative horizons and polishing their craft. The exchanges yielded valuable insights for subsequent original animation creation.
during the symposium
The interactive session focused on balanced artistic expression and audience reception, ink animation atmosphere building, emotional storytelling, integration of new media technologies, inheritance of traditional hand-drawn animation, and international communication of oriental aesthetics. Dmitry stated that creators should not sacrifice authentic artistic expression to cater to uncertain public tastes. His adoption of Chinese painting styles stems from sincere admiration rather than market orientation, and genuine creativity naturally transcends cultural barriers to strike emotional chords worldwide.
He argued hand-drawn animation is never outdated; its unique brushstrokes carry spontaneity and human warmth missing from formulaic digital replication. He encouraged persistent hand-drawing training as the foundation of artistic literacy. For young animators, he shared two practical self-improvement methods: compiling layered frames onto a single canvas to grasp overall narrative logic; and repeatedly reviewing storylines in quiet reflection to identify structural and visual flaws.
during the symposium
Craftsmanship and Reflection: Preserving Authentic Animation Warmth amid Industrial Changes
This symposium offered profound reflections on art and technology as well as practical cross-cultural artistic exchange. Against the backdrop of fast-evolving animation industry technologies, it encouraged deeper research and reflection on ink animation and diverse artistic styles within a cross-cultural context.
Symposium's site
Moving forward, rooted in Chinese cultural heritage, Jilin Animation Institute will advance original creation and build an animation aesthetic and academic system with distinctive Chinese characteristics. The school will inherit traditional arts and uphold authentic artistic creation, pursuing innovative international expression for Chinese animation and supporting its sustainable high-quality development.
