Promotional material for A hometown exhibition Photo: Courtesy of Douban

'A hometown' - art exhibition

This art exhibition in Wuhan, Hubei Province, tells a story about artist Zhang Xiao's artistic reflections on the concept of "hometown."

The solo exhibition documents his art career from 2009 to the present. It displays more than 80 works from 13 different series, with most of these works exhibiting how the artist's creativity and emotional changes tangled together to such a way to inspire him to interpret his ideas about his hometown- Yantai, Shandong Province. 

The exhibition presents Zhang's career like a flashback. 

In works such as Apple, visitors can see Zhang's comprehensive yet "cold" gaze toward his hometown. In other works, such as Big Sister, visitors will likely feel a warm sentiment emanating from the artist's presented works that show his nostalgia for his hometown after years of drifting around the world. 

In the final section, which is also the starting point of his artistic journey, the artist reveals his passion for and wild memories about his hometown. 

According to the show's curator, the artist's presentation carries an emotional quality that it is found in the works of Jack Kerouac - the Beat Generation experimenter known for literature works such as On the Road. 

Where: Wuhan Photography Art Centre, Wuhan  

When: Until October 10, 2022 

Price: From 15 yuan ($2)

'Oh! Dirty Fingers in Hangzhou' - indie rock gig 

This music event in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, is sure to be exciting for people who are interested in underground rock music. 

China's emerging rock band Oh! Dirty Fingers will perform at the event. Founded in 2013, the band is a full-time band that stands out from many part-time rock singers in the Chinese indie music scene. 

One of the band's most popular songs "I also like your girlfriend" helped them make a name for themselves in the Chinese rock scene. 

Like many rock bands that believe in "freedom" and "independence," Oh! Dirty Fingers also includes these expressive elements in their music. 

The venue for the event, the MAO Livehouse is a popular franchised music venue across China. 

The music club mainly specializes in rock performances. Compared with many clubbing scenes dominated by hip-pop and electronic music, the MAO Livehouse is definitely a cooler place for many because you'll see girls wearing leather jackets who drink beer instead of fancy cocktails and who actually will dance to the music. 

Where: MAO Livehouse, Hangzhou   

When: October 5, 2022 

Price: 180 yuan ($25.50)

'Individual, Peoples, Human Race' - art exhibition

This art exhibition in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, is a solo show for emerging artist Li Qiangqiang. The exhibition displays the major works the artist has created over the past five years, mainly paintings.  

When it comes to painting, Li is always good at distilling ideas and planting his own sense of humor in his artworks. His works often end up portraying a collision between his inside and outside worlds with some exaggerated emotions presented as distorted images. 

Such works not only show imaginative visual colors and patterns, but also reveal the profoundness of life and portray pictures of society and everyday things in a simplistic manner.  

Within the creator's established art framework, he explores the dynamics between the individual, the collective - a group of people - and human beings in general. Through such explorations, the artist aims to exhibit our connections with each other in different social and cultural contexts. 

Where: FFA Art Center, Nanjing 

When: Until October 7, 2022 

Price: Free entry