Modern art about modernity
Mao says Chengdu was selected as the host city because it's an emerging art hub that demonstrates "tolerance, modernity and potential".
The city is celebrated for its vibrant cultural legacy, and is home to artists, galleries and collectors.
Most artists featured in the exhibition are visiting Chengdu for the first time.
Mao believes their presence will produce "chemistry" with the city and residents.
Their works create new perceptions for reflecting upon social development's various dimensions through extensive independent research, says curator Ning Zheng, who's also the Mao Jihong Arts Foundation's CEO.
Filipino couple Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, who now live in Australia, started a series called Project Another Country in 2006, which they say explores the space, or mental state, that people feel between their home countries and current residences-that is, a sense of loose attachment.
They're presenting an installation series in Chengdu, entitled Here, There, Everywhere.
A "miniature community" of handmade buildings fashioned from recycled cupboards are densely arranged atop what appears to be a satellite dish.
It references modern societies' nomadic character, as people often migrate and form temporary communities in which a sense of belonging is ever-more elusive.
