A view of the Underwater Chopin Concert event on September 12 Photo: Courtesy of Li Jianya

Leaving his identity as a "panda artist" behind two years ago, artist Zhao Bandi held a performance art event called Underwater Chopin Concert on September 12 to kick off the third phase of his art career.

Starting off as a painter, Zhao entered his "panda phase" in the 1990s. This phase, which consisted of everything from panda-themed clothing to a series of amusing photos featuring the artist posing with his stuffed toy panda, culminated with the 2013 movie Let Panda Fly.

Zhao, whose paintings have sold for millions at the world's best auction houses, held the event in a small mountain town outside Chengdu, Sichuan Province as part of preparations for his upcoming painting Chinese Party • Chopin.

The event consisted of a party held around a knee-deep pool of water, in which a pianist played piano and the artist occasionally wading in to paint on canvas.