Anna Zhao anna.whizh@yahoo.com ABOUT 100 paintings by five Spain-based artists are exhibiting at Shenzhen Fine Art Institute in Luohu District through July 22. Although most paintings were created using traditional Chinese painting tools — ink and rice paper, they take on looks widely different from those of traditional Chinese paintings. The artists, four from Spain and one from Taiwan, have given their creativity free reign by using geometric shapes, tangled lines, or patches of ink to explore abstract themes. The paintings by Miguel ángel Sánchez are within two groups of abstract art exploring humanity’s emotions and relationship with living space. The artist used ink and brushstrokes to create an artistic effect that is ultimately Western. In the “Autopsy” group of paintings, the artist explores living spaces through lines and geometric shapes. There is a “fight” between human figures, in skeletons of distorted shape, and the space is represented through polygon shapes connected with one another, the artist said. Sánchez added it’s a different experience to use Chinese ink to paint on rice paper since the skills applied in using them are quite different from that of Western paintings. The paintings by Ana Laza are characterized by free use of ink and color in her depiction. Her paintings are not about any specific structures or scenes but rather about passion and emotions. Laza, who was a guest visitor at Shenzhen Fine Art Institute for two months, said she likes the city for its openness and strong support for art. “When I created my paintings, I was completely overwhelmed by the inspiration drawn from the city that I almost forgot my Spanish background,” she said. Javier Marín, who used brush and ink for the first time, said it’s very challenging for him to paint on rice paper and he managed to have better control of the water after repeated practice. “I would teach this painting skill to people in Spain,” he said. Marín, also a trained architectural engineer, said he intended to express in his painting the emotions that can’t be conveyed by measureable structures. He thinks Shenzhen has done a good job striking a balance between its natural environment and urban development, and has tried to re-create the balance in his paintings by using collage and a mixture of Western and Chinese painting skills. Interlaced patterns and color are common in the paintings by Taiwanese artist Chu Lily. Unlike the choice of using smooth lines, her portraits of women against the background of interwoven patterns were crafted through the use of a slew of shapes, adding an exotic gracefulness to her paintings. The works of Marco Antonia Cobo are in a group of photographs showing smog-shrouded urban landscapes. The photographer took the pictures of two cites, Santander in northern Spain and Linyi in East China’s Shangdong Province, with his cellphone and used computer software to give the pictures a surreal rendering. The pictures, with skyscrapers and bustling roads painted in sandy red, speak in a repressive tone of urban cities engulfed by air pollution due to industrial development.Date: Until July 22 Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Venue: Shenzhen Fine Art Institute, 36 Jinhu Street 1, Yinhu Road, Luohu District （深圳市罗湖区金湖一街36号深圳画院） Buses: 69, 4, 5, 7, 201, 218, 222, 301, 360, 315 (Yinhu Stop) | 