Photo: CFP

An exhibition titled Triumphalism is currently being held at the 798 International Art Exchange Centre in Beijing. The exhibition displays more than 50 paintings, sculptures and experimental photographs by Chinese artist Xing Junqin and Australian artist Ian Howard.

The artworks explore the relationship between human beings and the modern metropolis. The urban landscape is seen as a jungle of competing influences where individuals struggle to find their identity and place.  

Even the landscape, the natural environment, does not escape the pressures of "Triumphalism" in the eyes of Xing and Howard. Nature is either controlled by camouflage or appears threatening to us as individuals who ultimately rely on it for survival. 

And finally, each artist has a keen interest in history, represented by period furnishings and architecture. The different cultures of the East and West now interact and influence each other in a highly energized world. 

A world in all its dramatic beauty that the artists feel is not without challenges for individuals and humankind.

The exhibition is set to end on September 11.