For the Future, Acrylic on Canvas, 2010.

By Guo Song

Zhong Biao, one of the pioneers of China's surrealist art movement, has just left a present in Shanghai for the future.

The present, now on display at the Z-art Center in Zhangjiang High-tech Park (which has been neatly wrapped in a giant ribbon tied in a bow), can be found at his installation For the Future - Zhong Biao's Art Experience in Shanghai 2010.

"I had a dream. That the figures and the chaotic world in my paintings would send my greetings to people in the future," Zhong said.

Now the Z-art Center has taken another step toward the fulfillment of his dream.

In the dark exhibition hall, two new pieces created especially for this installation, For the Future (2010) and Light Year (2010), are displayed between mirrors. The works are carefully lit and background music adds to the surreal atmosphere.

"The beauty and joy drawn from the installation complete the creation of art - something is taken from life and brought back to life," said Zhong, who is also associate professor at the Sichuan Fine Art Institute.

The two new paintings feature his personal trademarks as a surrealist. Paradoxical images, combined with scenes from different eras create worlds of fantasy.

Light Year, Acrylic on Canvas, 2010. The two pieces by the Chinese surrealist artist Zhong Biao, have been especially created for his new installation called For the Future - Zhong Biao's Art Experience in Shanghai 2010. Photos: Courtesy of Zhang Rong

Pi Li, an art critic, said: "He cuts a section from the visual symbols people are familiar with, and then takes out those fragmented symbols from the cultural deposits of different times, and, lastly, arranges and combines them in a unique way."

"I do not want to impose my understanding and interpretation on my audience," Zhong said. "We do not have to understand everything in a painting. Just as it is impossible to understand all the things we have seen or experienced."

The 40-something artist has already exhibited in major galleries around the world, including the Frey Norris Gallery in San Francisco and the Olyvia Oriental Gallery in London.

His work, Football Miracle (2009), has been included in the Official Art Poster Edition 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, where he is displayed alongside 16 other international artists like Marlene Dumas, William Kentridge and Romero Britto.

The Z-art Center is also a participant to the Future Is Being Realized exhibition area which is a project of the Pavilion of Future at the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai.

Date: Until July 4, 10:30 am to 6:30 pm (closed on Mondays)

Venue: Z-art Center, 419 Zuchongzhi Road

张江å½"代艺术中心 祖冲之路419号

Admission: Free