Twelve years is not just a unit of time.

Twelve years means continuous encounter, observation, and accumulation.

From the initial exploration during the exhibition,

To gradually grow different appearances along their respective directions,

Compared to summarizing a common style, this exhibition,

More concerned about one issue:

How does creation happen?

A piece of work may come from a daily experience,

It may also stem from an idea that has never been let go.

After repeated observation, pause, and deliberation,

It gradually gained shape.

The exhibition uses "star clusters" as a clue to understand these practices.

Artists have different backgrounds of growth,

They also search for their own concerns in their creations.

When these practices are put together,

The originally scattered and imperceptible connections,

It is also gradually becoming apparent.

As artificial intelligence and digital technology continue to reshape the way art is created and disseminated, how can the traditional Chinese ink and brush spirit break through media boundaries and achieve creative transformation in the new era context? The National Arts Foundation 2025 Art Talent Training Support Project Achievement Exhibition "Responding to the Era with Pen and Ink - Contemporary Translation and Time Space Dialogue of Chinese Pen and Ink Spirit", hosted by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, will open on July 10, 2026 at the Guanshanyue Art Museum in Shenzhen.

This exhibition is hosted by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, jointly organized by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design, Shenzhen Guanshanyue Art Museum, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Cultural and Art Technology Research Center, and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University NVIDIA Joint Research Center. As a result of the National Art Fund's 2025 Art Talent Training Support Project "Digital Art Exhibition Management Talent Training", "Era Response to Pen and Ink" received cultural exchange activity funding from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government of China. Under the guidance of project leader Professor Du Benlin, it was planned and implemented, showcasing the creative practices and curatorial achievements of project participants around the integration of Chinese pen and ink spirit and digital art. The exhibition not only showcases the talent cultivation achievements of the project, but also hopes to use "pen and ink" as a starting point to build a communication platform that transcends media, time, space, and cultural boundaries, responding to the development proposition of Chinese art in the digital age.

The 20th century was an era of turbulence and innovation in Chinese art. The pioneers of Lingnan art, led by Gao Jianfu, Gao Qifeng, and Chen Shuren, rooted themselves in the field of Chinese painting and proposed the artistic concept of "balancing East and West, integrating ancient and modern". They sought a balance between Eastern and Western cultures, opening up a unique path for the modern transformation of traditional Chinese painting.

The Spring Sleep Painting Academy was founded by Gao Jianfu in 1923 and has become an important platform for the practice and education of the "New Chinese Painting" art. It has trained a group of masters such as Guan Shanyue and Li Xiongcai, and has become an important monument in the modernization process of Chinese painting education. The artistic spirit it upholds transcends the limitations of geography and apprenticeship, showcasing the resilience of traditional Chinese painting in the changing times.

The Guanshan Yue Art Museum in Shenzhen has long been committed to the study of Chinese art in the 20th century, with a particular focus on the development and inheritance of Lingnan art in recent years. This year, we have integrated our own collections with the precious collections of professional institutions such as the Lingnan Painting School Memorial Hall, Guangzhou Museum of Art, Guangdong Academy of Painting, Nanhai District Museum of Foshan City, and the Chinese Painting Academy of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. We have specially planned the "New Path - Spring Sleeping Fan Art Research Exhibition" to explain the historical value and contemporary significance of exploring the art of "Spring Sleeping Fan". The exhibition has received strong support from the families of the Spring Sleep doujin, and this century long influence of the sect has filled the exhibition with warmth and friendship. The exhibition is narrated through the themes of "Spring Sleep First", "New Interpretation of Ancient Rhymes", "Singing to Save the Country", and "New Creation of the Country", presenting the artistic practices and innovative trends of artists in different periods. The exhibition aims to showcase the persistence and continuity of Lingnan culture, using art as a link to further strengthen cultural exchange and collaborative development in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, and jointly promote the creative transformation and innovative development of excellent traditional Chinese culture.

Preface

The realm of art lies in guarding the roots of context, communicating changes in media, and reaching the realm of spirit; The charm of the Bay Area lies in the convergence of the veins of the two cities, gathering the power of unity, and composing a chapter of integration. The Shenzhen China Channel flies over the mouth of the the Pearl River, allowing the frontier vitality of the city of innovation and the cultural heritage of the great man's hometown to go forward in a two-way way and coexist for common prosperity.

Mr. Xiao Wei has been deeply involved in the field of fine arts for decades. As a leader in the art industry in Zhongshan City and vice chairman of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area Artists Alliance, he not only roots himself in the profound historical context of Zhongshan, draws on the essence of Lingnan culture, but also keeps up with the development trend of the Bay Area, absorbs cutting-edge artistic concepts from various regions, and connects the four major art categories of traditional Chinese painting, oil painting, watercolor, and mural painting. With a solid academic foundation, broad creative vision, and deep humanistic sentiment, he has built an art system of "tradition as the root, Chinese and Western as the use, life as the source, and spirit as the soul". He is not limited by a single type of painting, nor is he restricted by programming techniques. He can see the spirit in his brushwork, the breadth of his mind in his colors, the poetry in his water, and the pattern in his wall paintings. He blends Eastern aesthetic connotations with contemporary visual language. His works not only depict the historical and cultural figures of Zhongshan such as Sun Yat sen and Zheng Guanying with deep affection, but also vividly interpret the atmosphere of the Bay Area era, forming a unique artistic appearance and becoming an artistic bond that connects Shenzhen and China cultures and showcases the temperament of the Bay Area.

The Guanshan Yue Art Museum takes it as its responsibility to promote excellent traditional Chinese culture, promote the development of contemporary art, and assist in the cultural construction of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area. The grand launch of Mr. Xiao Wei's art exhibition is not only a comprehensive presentation of his decades long artistic dedication and academic achievements, but also an important platform for cultural exchange between Shenzhen and Zhongshan, relying on the link role of the Shenzhen Zhongshan Channel, and practicing the concept of "art museums are not only art halls, but also urban cultural living rooms". The holding of this exhibition aims to promote in-depth dialogue between the art circles of Shenzhen and Zhongshan, facilitate the sharing of cultural resources and exchange of talents between the two places, revitalize art in the integration of Shenzhen and China, and inject lasting momentum into the cultural construction of the Bay Area.

May viewers not only experience Mr. Xiao Wei's artistic path of upholding integrity and innovation, but also appreciate the warmth of the two cities connected by the Shenzhen Zhongshan Passage and the heritage of the Bay Area through his brushwork, colors, water charm, and grand works. Together, they can reflect on the inheritance, integration, and future of contemporary Chinese art in the era of diverse media and the development trend of the Bay Area.

Lian Zihua's "Li Bai" is full of poetic charm, Su Xianzhong's conceptual expression in "Paper", Lian Deli's pursuit of ultimate craftsmanship in "Myth", Xu Ruifeng's "Source" blends heaven and earth with exquisite craftsmanship, and Zhang Hairui's popular interest in "Moon Sweetener" The continuation and innovation of Dehua white porcelain in the context of contemporary ceramics have never stopped. Using porcelain as a medium, exploring the various possibilities of ceramic sculpture, artists innovate and seek change in tradition, and bring new artistic vitality to the millennium old "Chinese white".

The warm and pure Dehua white porcelain, as pure as jade, comes with a peaceful and soft light, and strolling through exhibitions is like taking a deep breath of the soul. In a simple and elegant aesthetic atmosphere, release fatigue and calm emotions Xu, seeking the beauty of inner peace.

The phrase 'poetry in painting, painting in poetry' is a classic summary by ancient people about the connection between poetry and painting. The tradition of "unity of poetry and painting" has made painters consciously incorporate poetry into their paintings, transforming poetry and poetic scenery into artistic meaning and scenery, and highlighting the artistic conception of "intangible" and "audible" poetry through "tangible" and "silent" painting forms, thus forming an important creative model for Chinese painters. Mr. Lin Fengsu, a master of Lingnan landscape painting, has had a fondness for reading ancient poetry and books since childhood, naturally benefiting from the tradition of poetic expression in ancient times. However, he did not only provide illustrations or descriptions of the poetry of ancient people, but also incorporated and repeatedly refined his own taste of the artistic conception of ancient poetry, fully reflecting his discovery and processing of the poetry of "ordinary family mountains", including his understanding of imagery and modeling. This pursuit of "poetry" can be seen as a potential mentality of his personal temperament and ideas. In today's rapidly developing industrial civilization, traditional poetry and pastoral scenes are moving away from us, perhaps due to the inevitable fate of modern people. As an artist with ideas, Lin Fengsu seeks a choice to return to his spiritual home and the natural countryside, which undoubtedly has an independent significance for his existence. Based on the above academic thinking, we take Lin Fengsu's poetic landscape as the theme, presenting his unique creation in poetic painting and his contribution to the modern transformation of Lingnan landscape. From the search for poetry to the construction of poetry, especially the localization and exploration of locality, different dimensions present the painter's modern transformation of the traditional connotation of the poetic theme in landscape painting.

The Cultural and Creative Link Project of Shenzhen Guanshanyue Art Museum - "Shanyue Living Room" is our museum's latest heavyweight art experimental project, dedicated to linking artistic creation and innovative practice, and promoting the revitalization and transformation of artistic resources.

Each issue of 'Shanyue Living Room' will collaborate with an artist to engage in deep co creation, transforming their original art into portable, usable, and collectible cultural and creative treasures. This is not only a continuously growing experimental field, but also dedicated to integrating warm art into daily life, bringing sincere and unique creations into the public eye.

Through this plan, we hope to explore a sustainable and replicable mechanism for supporting public art museums. Through the development of collaborative cultural and creative works, not only does it promote artistic creation into public life, but it also builds a virtuous cycle of "art product public".