On October 19, at the Reform Mission: Guangdong Art Centennial Exhibition in Shanghai, international visitors were deeply moved by the diversity and emotion of Lingnan art. Even on its second day, the museum was filled with voices and languages from around the world, with each person finding a personal connection to a different piece.
Minturn Alexander, a traveler from the U.K. visiting China for the first time, was captivated by a photograph titled "Warm Serene Moments." He stood in front of it for a long time, trying to interpret every symbol. "It's amazing," he said. "I stood for so long trying to pick out each little bit of symbolism. I just love it."
Mathias, a scientist from Austria who recently moved from Guangzhou to Shanghai, was fascinated by the cubist city paintings that merge snapshots of different skylines. "I recognized the Canton Tower and the Nanjing Eye," he said, "all pieced together into one painting. I like that one." He also drew parallels between art and science: "Both art and science try to make sense of the world. We just do it in different ways."
Meanwhile, an American pilot who discovered the show during his stopover was drawn to a striking sculpture—a "smashed-down David." "It hurts your eyes at first," he laughed, "but then you realize how perfectly it's done."
From poetic tenderness to architectural abstraction to bold sculptural distortion, Lingnan art proved its power to cross borders and move hearts—reminding us that art, in any form, speaks a universal language.
Reporter: Li Fangwang
Video: Pan Jiajun
Photo/Poster: Li Fangwang
Editor: Hu Nan, James Campion, Shen He
