UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 01 JULY
A five-metre-long scroll peeled from the trunk of a pine tree and huge discs of translucent silk created with the help of trained silkworms are just some of the amazing artworks going on display at Birmingham City University’s (BCU) School of Art this week.
The exhibition - ‘Spirit Matters: Contemporary Art from China’ – features the work of six artists and is a collaboration between BCU and the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts.
“It has been my privilege to work with colleagues at Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and a group of artists that I admire,” said exhibition curator Professor Jiang Jiehong, Director of Centre for Chinese Visual Arts, at the School of Art.
“Some of the pieces on display are truly fascinating, created by artists using traditional materials and craftsmanship to reconnect with their cultural past following the dramatic social and political transformations of the country in the 20th century.”
The free exhibition, which runs from 5-26 July, also includes painting, videos and sculptures.
Among the artists on show is Guo Gong, whose artwork ‘A Tree – Scroll’ (picture one), involved peeling a pine tree trunk so painstakingly slowly that he was able to create a continuous sheet of wood that stretches more than five metres long and is only half a millimetre thick. 
Meanwhile, ‘Planar Tunnel’ (picture two) is made of discs of silk, with a diameter of 145cm, which were created by Liang Shaoji, who has been breeding and training silkworms since 1989.
His piece was inspired by a Western Han dynasty dress excavated during an archaeological dig. The dress is estimated to be more than 2,000 years old and weighs just 49 grams.
“We are proud to stage this exhibition in Birmingham, to further connect with China and its culture, and to tell a special story through its contemporary art,” added Professor Jiang.
“I hope this exhibition will be an opportunity for people in Birmingham to connect with a culture that may be unfamiliar but have themes we can all relate to.”
The exhibition will continue to build cultural relationships between Birmingham and China, following a similar contemporary Chinese art exhibition in 2018.
Professor Fan Bo, President of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, also has artwork on display at ‘Spirit Matters’. He said “Art can become more vibrant through cultural exchanges and by learning from one another. This exhibition marks an exciting new opportunity for our long-term partnership with Birmingham City University.”
‘Spirit Matters: Contemporary Art from China’ opens with a private viewing on Friday 5th July at 5pm. Opening times are 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday, until 26th July.