Works by the four featured artists at the Grain in Ear exhibition. Photos: Courtesy of the gallery

Dressed in a leisurely-looking and slightly crumpled linen suit and a pair of straw sandals, Taiwanese artist Yu Peng was certainly the most eye-catching person at the opening ceremony of a group exhibition at 22 Art Center on June 6.

As one of the participating artists, Yu brought several ink-and-wash paintings from his landscape series to the exhibition, entitled Grain in Ear, which also features works by Zheng Zaidong from Taiwan, and Huang Ye and Zhang Ping from the Chinese mainland.

Works by the four featured artists at the Grain in Ear exhibition. Photo: Sun Shuangjie/GT

"Grain in ear" is one of the 24 Chinese solar terms, which usually lasts from June 6 to June 21 and during which farmers go through a transitional phase between two growing cycles. Taking this title, the exhibition attempts to examine the contemporary Chinese art scene during a transitional period, when Western aesthetics and value systems have flooded into East Asian countries since the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Yu, born in 1955, had been active in art galleries in Europe before he returned to China in the 1980s. He once spent a long time touring the country, visiting scenic spots as well as historical sites to engage with traditional Chinese culture.

"I felt terribly eager to find the true self and to get back to the cultural identity of a Chinese person when I was in Europe confronting Western artists with distinctive Western works," said Yu, who told the Global Times that life in Taiwan was not enough for him to feel the "root" of Chinese culture.

On view at the exhibition are Yu's landscape ink-and-wash paintings, in which he used an accumulative ink method that features layer upon layer of ink strokes to produce a shade variation from light to dark.

Works by the four featured artists at the Grain in Ear exhibition. Photo: Courtesy of the gallery

Amid the mountains, trees and streams on the canvas, visitors can also spot a person seated in an inconspicuous corner of the landscape. According to Yu, the human figure is an extension of himself, and the location is decided by his feelings and attitude towards the landscape.

"Painting has become the best escape from real life for me, as I often lose myself in the landscape featured on the rice paper," said Yu.

Also on display at the exhibition are Zheng Zaidong's oil paintings depicting irregular stones and traditional Chinese stories, Huang Ye's oil paintings that resemble mountains, as well as Zhang Ping's oil paintings featuring flowers and trees with vibrant colors.

"All of the four selected artists are practicing traditional Chinese culture with a contemporary language," said Liang Qin, the curator of the exhibition. "But it's also interesting to see the differences between the Taiwanese artists and their counterparts from the mainland while they are sharing the Chinese literati spirit."

"Yu and Zheng seem to be more free to reveal the literati spirit in terms of painting techniques, whereas, Huang and Zhang are more cautious and in keeping with traditional painting," added Liang.

Date: Until August 7, 10 am to 6 pm (Tuesday to Friday), 11 am to 7 pm on weekends

Venue: 22 Art Center

外滩·二十二号艺术中心

Address: 3/F, 22 Zhongshandong'er Road

中山东二路22号3楼

Admission: Free

Call 6328-8299 for details