All four artists were born in Beijing; all four studied Chinese ink techniques and use these to produce contemporary works of art.

Beijing, a city that, despite 20 years of charging forward towards modernity and cosmopolitanism, has remained steeped in history
and ancient culture. These artists are therefore naturally influenced by tradition. During this drastic social transformation, recurrent debates about traditional values and cultural identity have been invoked. In fact, in the past thirty or forty years, Beijing has become not only the melting pot of a range of Chinese social problems, but also the focus of global attention. It seems to pull the conflicts between East and West centripetally toward itself and has become a battleground between modernity and tradition.

As a result, artists who grew up in Beijing tend to have a deep relationship with traditional Chinese culture, as well as a subtle and accurate understanding of modern everyday life. Both of these can be seen clearly in the works of these artists…

Lu Peng: Leaving the Garden of Dreams, 2008, Chinese ink on paper