“Painting and Handwork”, the title of the exhibition, comes from a curriculum of the Liangjiang Senior Normal School, the first of its kind in China established in 1902. The juxtaposition of painting and handwork at that time may have no purpose, or may be a despise to western style painting. However, it does reveal an essential aspect of art, something that should not be forgotten in the present world of confusion. The exhibition, which is not big and includes a number of artists devoted to exploring their own distinct formal language, does not present the full picture of contemporary art, but it will certainly become an essential element in the process in which Chinese contemporary art shapes its new look.
—— Yan An
