A visitor explores the exhibition Photo: Courtesy of Taikang Space

A new exhibition at Beijing's Taikang Space gallery looks back to 1949, the year the People's Republic of China was founded. The 1949: The Artistic Choices exhibition kicked off on Thursday with displays of old paintings, documents and installation works to showcase the important events that happened that year. 

Curated by Su Wenxiang, the exhibition includes three parts, Preparation, Foundation and Celebration, that mark the political and artistic events taking place in 1949 in China and present an intersection of art and politics at a critical moment. 

The exhibition, set to run until November 16, sees works from artists Jiang Zhaohe, Wu Zuoren and Luo Bonian.