VISITORS to Shenzhen Talent Park in the past weeks were captivated by a towering giant sculpture of the legendary Monkey King, seemingly breaking through the sky with grandeur.

The sculpture titled “The Great Sage,” created by Li Xiangqun, vice chairman of the China Artists Association and a senior professor of humanity at Tsinghua University, drew in spectators with its impressive visual impact, prompting many to pause and capture the moment through photographs. It is one of the 14 large outdoor art pieces on display in “The Vitality of Nature” 2024 Shenzhen Bay Public Art Season that raised its curtain to the public at Shenzhen Talent Park in December.

Co-hosted by Nanshan District government and Shenzhen University, this year’s public art season features exhibitions at the park and in the Yuehai campus of Shenzhen University. Li, who also serves as the chief curator of this year’s art season, said at the opening ceremony that he hoped the Shenzhen Bay Public Art Season will continue to uphold its innovation spirit, and become a vibrant cultural emblem in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Since its inception in 2019, the Shenzhen Bay Public Art Season has been an annual event, marking one of China’s early large-scale outdoor public art exhibition projects, showcasing art works by numerous artists with both domestic and international backgrounds.

The 2024 art season delves into three topics of “Nature and Life,” “Nature and Myth” and “Nature and Science” to interpret its main theme of “Vitality of Nature.” It features 14 renowned artists including Tony Brown from the U.K., Cai Zhisong, Deng Le, Guo Xianjun and Li Chengjun, presenting a variety of installations and sculptures.

In the category of “Nature and Science,” Tony Brown brought his installation “Front and Back,” which is inspired by the “Buckyball.” This artwork enlarges molecules that are invisible to the naked eye into colossal objects with a diameter of 4 meters, symbolizing molecular structures, biological cells, and cosmic entities, blending the microscopic and macroscopic realms into a unified entity. Through this creation, Brown explores the composition and operational laws of the universe, encompassing all living organisms.

With the participation of both artists and the public, the Shenzhen Bay Public Art Season has emerged as a cultural symbol for the city and a highly anticipated cultural festival among Shenzhen residents.

Public art, as a new cultural phenomenon, aims at integrating art into daily life and making it accessible to the public.

The 2024 Shenzhen Bay Public Art Season runs until March next year.

(Claudia Wei)