Mandela & 46664 by Luo Qiang

Forever Shining Glory by Tao Na Photos: Courtesy of Tao and Luo

As the world mourned the passing of anti-apartheid leader and former South African President Nelson Mandela through ceremonies, vigils and other forms of remembrance, two Chinese artists paid their respects with visual art installations at the foot of a sacred Taoist mountain.

Installation artists Tao Na and Luo Qiang, also known as Wenze17, held an exhibition from December 13 through 16 in an art-themed hotel at Wudang Mountain in Hubei Province, one of China's most famous Taoist sites.

The exhibition was also broadcast in real time on video billboards overlooking Times Square in New York, organizers claimed.

"I find there is common place shared by Mandela and Chinese Taoism, which is the spirit of benevolence and the belief of equality," Tao told the Global Times.

Tao explained the inspiration behind her exhibition, Forever Shining Glory, came upon hearing the news of Mandela's death while she and Luo were climbing Wudang Mountain, the largest Taoist ceremonial site during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Her work features 600 pieces of square-shaped glass which at a certain time of each day projected a sunlit portrait of Mandela on the hotel wall. At night, another 300 pieces of illuminated glass will shined Mandela's name across the same wall.

"On this holy site, I feel extremely close to Mandela and his spirit of sparing no effort to improve the lives of South African people," said Tao.

A graduate of the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in 2009, Tao has distinguished herself from other contemporary artists by using squares as the basis of her art.

"Mandela once said 'The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall,' which deeply touched my heart," said Tao, who adds the sunlight also embodies the spirit of equality as it provides energy to all life on the planet.

"I wanted to use natural light at the Taoist site to resurrect Mandela once again," she added.

While Tao channels natural sunlight, Wenze17 harnesses the Internet to initiate his global memorial to the beloved South African leader.

Luo's work, Mandela & 46664, finds inspiration in Mandela's 27-year imprisonment in Robben Island, where he was known as prisoner 466 after his arrival in 1964. The artist revealed it was also through art - a song by Hong Kong rock band Beyond more than 20 years ago - that he first heard of Mandela's achievements and imprisonment.

The two-part installation featured dozens of LED and projection screens set up around the hotel and throughout the valley that displayed a smiling image of Mandela.

The screens also showed tributes to Mandela in real time from well-wishers around the world posted on a microblog account dedicated to the project.

The 41-year-old artist began working in this medium back in 2010, where he uses the two tools that epitomize the information era - display screens and the Internet.

"The landscape becomes my easel, while the screens with content from the Internet are my paints," Wenze17 told the Global Times. The second part of the installation involved a secret conversation between a middle-aged man and a young girl. The pair was recorded and photographed "experiencing" the exhibition at an undisclosed location and time.

Their documented experience was then placed in a time capsule and buried on Wudang Mountain, left to be discovered in the far future.

Wenze17 explains how he was watching on the news where people in South Africa sang and danced to commemorate Mandela and was reminded of a story about Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi.

"He didn't cry when his wife passed away, because he believed that death is a natural process of life, and people who die still exist among us," said the artist, who hopes that his work not only provides people with a way to express their respect for Mandela, but also a chance to reflect on their own lives.

Art critic Ba Li praised Wenze17's work, calling him a pioneer in integrating the Internet with installation art. "His pieces not only cross the borders of technology and art, but also national borders," Ba commented.

Xiong Feng, president and managing partner of exhibition organizers Rose Rock Culture & Arts Group, told the Global Times that their aim is to bring art to a public beyond the metropolises of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

"This exhibition, which pays tribute to Mandela with inspiration drawn from Chinese culture, demonstrates our best wishes to this eternal shining hero," says Xiong.