Wei Jie

claudiamente@hotmail.com

HEADED by established illustrators from China and Italy, an illustration workshop at the Baoneng All City mall Sunday afternoon gathered young artists and painting enthusiasts for a cross-cultural session aimed at inspiring imagination and strengthening cultural exchange.

The workshop, part of the Chinese/Italian Artists Exchange Program that kicked off in Shekou on Nov. 22, aimed to showcase Nanshan’s international vitality and artistic atmosphere and build a sustainable platform for China-Italy art exchange. This year also marks a milestone in the friendly relations between China and Italy.

Under the banner of “Colors Without Borders,” Zhao Enzhe, Asia’s first Hugo Award winner and China’s leading sci-fi painter, and Italian cover illustrator Lorenzo Ala, best known for his work with “Future Fiction,” sparked young participants’ interest in sci-fi art using live teaching and creative dialogue in the playful class.

Zhao drew on his own creative practice and views on aesthetic education in his segment titled “Sci-Fi Art and the Awakening of Imagination.” He said that children’s imaginations are on par with, and sometimes richer than, that of professional artists. Zhao also argued that art education should focus on tools that expand creative boundaries rather than technical training. “The goal is to bring art out of niche circles and make it a participatory, empathetic experience for the public.”

Ala moved through the classroom in a one-on-one mentoring style, observing each child participant’s process, correcting details, and sharing professional tips. Xiao Chuhe, a third-grader at Nanshan No. 2 Foreign Language School who has studied art for more than two years, said Ala taught her to apply color evenly and attend to every detail to make her painting three-dimensional.

Second-grader Guo Jiaming from the Southern University of Science and Technology Experimental Education Group (Nanshan) joined the workshop with her mother. “Today I learned about line use and highlights,” she said, showing her painting. Guo just received an award for her work titled “Twin City Flower Dream, China-Italy Harmony,” which was selected for the youth section of the China-Italy Masters Sci-Fi & Imagination Exhibition.

Participants at the workshop included teachers and students from an Italian art school and local children with varying levels of experience.

Ala praised the students’ intuitive understanding of shape, volume, and detail. “For such young artists, their grasp of form and proportion exceeded my expectations,” he said. By the end of the workshop, each participant had completed their own colorful spaceship, showcasing their visions of the future.

Both artists stressed the role of art education in bridging cultures. Zhao said that he has been committed to promoting Chinese sci-fi art globally and hopes to serve as “a cultural bridge” that connects Chinese speculative art with the world. Ala shared the sentiment, saying that illustration is a powerful nonverbal medium that can overcome communication barriers and foster emotional connections across nations.