What's on

China Daily | Updated: 2025-10-24 09:10

[Photo provided to China Daily]

Art of life

An installation resembling a cracked egg sits at the square of Beijing's Today Art Museum. Serving as a symbolic gateway, it introduces visitors to the ongoing Art of Craft and Design Exhibition 2025 running at the museum until Nov 18. The show brings together hundreds of cultural objects of various kinds while exploring how contemporary design can breathe new life into tradition. Among the highlights are creative products integrating the motifs in the paintings and designs of artist Zhu Danian (1916-95), a pioneer of modern mural art and ceramics. Immersive video installations capture the refined artistry of Su embroidery from Jiangsu province, showcasing its meticulous techniques and visual poetry. The exhibition also reflects the aesthetic ideals cherished by ancient Chinese scholars, offering visitors a journey through time, culture and artistic philosophy.

10 am-6 pm, closed on Mondays. 32 Baiziwan Road, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-5876-0600.

[Photo provided to China Daily]

Modern pioneer

Chen Shizeng (1876-1923) was a modern cultural trailblazer whose achievements spanned painting, calligraphy, poetry, and art education. Born in Hunan province, he later studied in Japan and, upon returning to China, helped initiate reform movements that shaped the modernization of Chinese art. He mentored rising artists and worked closely with leading cultural figures of his time, championing artistic innovation rooted in tradition. Timeless Value, an exhibition at Badashanren Memorial Hall, Nanchang, Jiangxi province, presents an insightful look into Chen's artistic legacy. It features paintings, manuscripts and archival materials from prestigious institutions, including the National Art Museum of China and Beijing Fine Art Academy. Jiangxi was the Chen family's ancestral home, while Beijing became a stage for his teaching career and creative collaborations. The exhibition runs until Jan 4.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 259 Qingyunpu Road, Qingyunpu district, Nanchang, Jiangxi province.0791-8527-3565.

[Photo provided to China Daily]

Ode to the desert

For years, Ma Quan, a tenured professor at the Academy of Arts and Design at Tsinghua University, found inspiration in solitude and long road journeys across China's deserts. Immersed in the vast stretches of land, he experiences the silence and mysticism of nature, forming a personal dialogue with the world. His exhibition, now underway at Tanghu Museum of Art, in Wuhan, Hubei province, titled Re-superposition State, reflects these travels. Ma explores how landscapes and geological formations influence human's perception of space. The works reveal how nature has shaped his design thinking, offering viewers an abstract yet poetic interpretation of the desert's raw beauty. The show runs until Nov 23.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 1 Xinghua Road, Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone, Wuhan, Hubei province.