The final exhibition of the 'Ink Art Ensembles' series, titled 'Illusory Landscapes,' has opened at the Guancheng Art Museum in Dongguan, China. Jointly organized by the Art Promotion Office under Hong Kong's Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Shenzhen Fringe Art Center, the show features two female artists: Barbara Choi from Hong Kong and Wen Qiuwen from the Greater Bay Area. Choi uses traditional gongbi painting and AI-generated animation to depict Hong Kong urban scenes like the Yau Ma Tei Wholesale Fruit Market, while Wen combines paper sculpture and lantern-making techniques to create immersive installations with mirrored surfaces and fantastical creatures.
This exhibition matters because it marks the culmination of a series that explores how traditional Chinese ink art can be regenerated through contemporary practices and new technologies. By pairing an established Hong Kong artist with a mainland Chinese artist, the series also highlights cross-border cultural collaboration within the Greater Bay Area, a region of growing economic and cultural integration. The use of AI by Choi and the incorporation of intangible cultural heritage by Wen demonstrate innovative pathways for ink art to remain relevant in the 21st century.