Spirit of creativity
The Spirit of Zhong (as in zhongguo for China), an exhibition now on in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, gathers workmanship and design by dozens of artists, designers and inheritors of traditional handicrafts. It investigates the latest developments of homegrown design and crafts, and anticipates trends in integrating modern design with traditional arts.
First held last year, the second exhibition incorporates more forces from academic circles to give greater depth of thought to the discussion. It focuses on the influence of emerging concepts of design and modern technology, on the revival of tradition, the continuing embodiment of the unity of human and nature in design, and the harmony between past and present, and form and artistry. The exhibition is being held at Sea World Cultural and Arts Center until Aug 23.
10 am-6 pm, daily. L3 Garden View Gallery, Sea World Cultural and Arts Center, Shenzhen, Guangdong province. 0755-2667-1187.
Modern collection
Teachers and graduates of the Central Academy of Fine Arts had a deep involvement in the creation of iconic artworks of 20th-century China. Many of these works or the drafts and preparatory drawings have been added to the collection of CAFA.
The CAFA art museum is now showing a selection from this assembly of works, including oil works, Chinese ink paintings, prints and sculptures, to offer a glimpse of the evolution of Chinese art in the last century, and the relation between fine arts and social life.
The long-term exhibition features preeminent figures, such as Li Shutong, a versatile artist and musician who later converted to Buddhism; Xu Beihong, one of the early Chinese students studying in Europe and who later became CAFA's headmaster; and Qi Baishi, one of the most world-renowned ink artists whose vivid depiction of lives in nature still captures the hearts of people today.
9:30 am-5:30 pm, closed on Mondays. 8 Huajiadi Nanjie, Wangjing, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-6477-1575.
Master of versatility
Wu Changshuo (1844-1927), a man of luminosity in modern Chinese art, is known to demonstrate versatility in painting, calligraphy, poetry and the art of seal engraving. His intense studies of the evolution of Chinese characters, particularly those on oracle bones, bronzes and primitive stone drums, have rendered his paintings a unique style and temperament which refreshed the look of Chinese painting in modern times. Over 180 pieces of art of Wu, as well as those by his contemporaries and disciples, are on show at Zhejiang Art Museum, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, until Sept 8.
It not only shows Wu's profound influence in the cultural circles, but also compares his works with that of other artists of his time to give a vivid, comprehensive picture of the art and social aesthetics at the time, helping people better understand Wu's contributions that have transcended time and space.
9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 138 Nanshan Lu, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. 0571-8707-8700.
