More than 800 pieces of artworks created by 260 talented students of the Xiaoyan School of Art • Next is on display in the home base of the school at the Sea World Culture and Arts Center in Shekou until the end of March.

On the walls of the corridor leading to the venue, mind-blowing cartoon figures — actually self portraits of the 260 young artists — extend several dozen meters and attract many visitors to stop for a selfie. Held annually to mark the progress and achievements of the kids, the exhibition displays works of animation, multimedia art, installations, visual art, architecture design, product design and industrial design. The students range from 4-year-old to 15-year-old.

In spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year marks the biggest number of students on exhibition since the school opened at the venue five years ago, said Zhuo Mingda, head of the school.

Many a piece was the result of teamwork. For example, a piece of architecture design explores the possibility of returning to the traditional material of red bricks and manifests an effort toward sustainability and environmental-friendly buildings. An animation was created by 100 students from various cultural backgrounds, with each telling their individual story in one frame.

At the entrance of the venue, visitors will be impressed by a huge colorful painting on the wooden floor, created by more than 60 young artists.

“People can actually walk on top of a piece of art,” said Ma Yan, a tutor at the school. “This is just one example of the interaction we focus on at the show. Interaction with other people and returning to social life is a prevailing psychological need at this moment when we are more than two years into the pandemic.”

Compared with previous exhibitions, this year’s effort leans more boldly toward experimentation and contemporary art.

An installation titled “Watchmen” is the joint effort of 50 students. The piece consists of remodeled manikin heads and reflects the pop culture trends of cyberpunk widespread among Generation Z.

A large-scale installation titled “Rules and Order” is a collage featuring recycled objects; another work re-creates the Chinese characters using rulers and a bow compass.

“The Lost City” is an experiment of large-scale installation that manifests itself as a 3D architecture model.

“There is no boundary to art education, as proved by this exhibition,” said Dong Jianguo, founder of the school. “We will continue to explore new experimental courses and try to bring out the creativity in our children.” (Li Dan)