Zhang Meng at the exhibition Photo: Courtesy of Today Art Museum

Zhang Meng exhibition at Today Art Museum

Chinese artist Zhang Meng's first solo exhibition is being held at Beijing's Today Art Museum. The show aims to present her artistic pursuit of the spiritual integration of Chinese and Western painting languages. 

Curated by Wang Chunchen and academically chaired by Su Xinping, the Aurascape and Poetics exhibition displays over 80 of the artist's works ranging from oil paintings to water ink across three sections: "Wen," "Floating World" and "Ideal World."

Zhang began learning ink wash paintings at a young age, which allowed her to form a deep understanding of the art form and develop her own thoughts on it. While studying in the UK from 2014 to 2018, she had the opportunity to view local contemporary art works, which inspired her to try to naturally blend the charm of ink painting with modern Western painting styles. 

The "Floating World" section portrays her heart after she returned home in 2018, deeply describing the complicated feelings she had due to changes in the environment and her self-identity. For her, art creation has become a way to heal and express herself, allowing her to rediscover her inner self. 

The series mainly uses the theme of "natural landscapes" to express her ideas. 

In Zhang's natural landscape paintings, nature is not something concrete, but a reflection of her inner life. 

This is continued in the "Ideal World" series, in which she seeks to preserve and amplify her purely intuitive reactions and inner feelings. 

The exhibition is set to run until June 7.

Photo: Courtesy of Tianqiao Performing Arts Center

Musical 'The Ideal City' staged in Beijing

Chinese musical The Ideal City was put on at Beijing's Tianqiao Performing Arts Center from Friday to Sunday. Based on the story of the popular Chinese TV series of the same title, the musical produced by the Beijing Performance & Arts Group follows the growth of young people in both their careers and personal lives. 

"The role Su Xiao in the play is not that different from us. She is by our side and lives among us. We can feel her courage, hard work and persistence," said Dong Ning, deputy general manager of the Beijing Performance & Arts Group. 

Instead of construction sites and factories that are commonly seen in TV series but not easily made for the stage, the musical has made the creative decision to use construction sand tables as the main stage setting. 

"We strive to present a calm and sharp space. The development of the plot and the performance of the actors, music and choreography are the main focus," said the show's visual director Ren Dongsheng.

Following the performances in Beijing, the musical will head out on a national tour.