Cao Zhen

caozhen0806@126.com

ABOUT 50 oil paintings, watercolors, calligraphic works and sculptures created by French and Chinese artists are on display at Zai Gallery in Shekou, Nanshan District until Thursday.

Organized by local French association Shenzhen Bienvenue, the exhibition features the works of French-Colombian painter Clara Nedot, French contemporary painter Brigitte Pohu, French sculptor Christel Re, Chinese contemporary painter Seema, French watercolorist Alain Tugend, Chinese traditional painter Xiong Chunnian, Chinese calligrapher Xiong Younian, and Chinese contemporary sculptor Zhang Qinu.

The artists all live in Shenzhen. As the name “Beyond Borders” implies, the aim of this exhibition is to build bridges between France and China, and to bring the countries together through a cultural and artistic event, according to the organizers.

Nedot’s oil paintings of portraits reflect her fascination with human beings she has encountered all around the world. Some exhibits portray Asian people whom she met in China. She, who studied painting in Colombia and France, said she draws her inspiration from the depth of a look or an emotion and her phantasmagorical dreams are thrown on the canvas in complicity with her emotions.

Tugend, a self-taught watercolorist who works for Peugeot in Shenzhen, does a lot of landscape paintings of Chinese cities, such as Xi’an, Guilin and Shenzhen. He said he has a passion for water, so the sea and the Shekou Port are his main sources of inspiration. While wandering through the city, he carries sketchbooks so he can capture slices of life and places and emotions drawn from his encounters.

Apart from paintings, sculptures and Chinese calligraphy are also on display. Xiong Younian’s style of calligraphy is semicurve script, which he says is inspired by Huang Tingjian, one of the four masters of the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Xiong said he was also inspired by Guo Moruo (1892-1978) and 77-year-old Fan Zeng, two contemporary calligraphers.

Dates: Until Sept. 20

Hours: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Venue: Zai Gallery, Peninsula Phase 1, Shekou, Nanshan District (南山区蛇口半岛城邦自在空间)

Metro: Dongjiaotou Station (东角头站), Exit B