AN exhibition featuring some 70 artworks by Chongqing artist Wang Chaogang is beckoning art fans to the Guangming Culture and Art Center (GCAC).

Housed in Hall A on the second floor of the center’s Art Museum, the show presents Wang’s works spanning three decades across three sections, echoing the exhibition title “Blossom, Fruit, Mountain.”

Wang’s paintings are deeply rooted in the aesthetics of Song Dynasty (960–1279) landscapes, nevertheless displaying a thriving vitality through the use of vivid contrasting colors. His works, having appeared at the Beijing International Art Biennale, are collected by the National Art Museum of China.

A tongue-in-cheek parody of the Flower and Fruit Mountain from the classical Chinese novel “Journey to the West,” the exhibition title piques public interest and invites viewers to explore the metaphorical meaning of the images.

“The brilliance of blooming and the ripeness of fruit both point to a more spiritual aspect of life, which is symbolized by mountains,” explains Hui Shuwen, director of Shanghai’s YOUNG Art Museum and curator of the exhibition. “The mountain is a symbol of one’s aspirations in traditional Chinese culture. When we see a mountain in a painting, it always has something to say about the painter himself,” he added.

One impressive piece, depicting an abundance of fruit and vegetables set upon a white tablecloth, features a grinning skull peeking out from the feast, creating an alarming spectacle and signifying the stark contrast between endless material supplies and the desolate spiritual world felt by many in modern society.

Another series, titled “The Forest of Perception” and created since 2022, reflects the philosophical idea that “impression comes before knowledge.” Rather than offering a direct and concrete depiction of the forest, one piece presents colorful trees like veins growing out of a grotesque dream, alongside blurred images of birds’ beaks and feathers. While the highly saturated colors in the background contrast with the traditional, fluid, and gentle brushstrokes of the subjects in the foreground, the piece invites viewers to take their time and savor the details.

Wang, born in 1975, earned a master’s degree in oil painting from the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in 2002 and now serves as the vice president of his alma mater.

Dates: Until June 26

Venue: Art Museum, Guangming Culture and Art Center (光明文化艺术中心美术馆)

Metro: Line 6 to Fenghuang Town Station (凤凰城站), Exit B(Li Dan)