Milan showcases a century of Chinese art

A bronze statue of Confucius (c 551-479 BC) appears at the very start of the ongoing Cina: La Nuova Frontiera dell'Arte (China: Art's New Frontier) show in Milan. One wonders if the figure of this paragon of ancient Chinese wisdom, standing at the door, is meant to serve as a symbolic guide, a keeper of the clues required to unravel the complexities of a significant period of Chinese cultural history. The exhibits cover more than 100 years, from 1908, the year China's last emperor, Puyi, was crowned, to the present.

Some 250 artworks and objects are displayed across two floors of Fabbrica del Vapore, an art gallery in Milan's Chinatown. These include oil paintings, photographs, calligraphy, ink-and-brush works, sculptures and historical materials.

Curator Vincenzo Sanfo, an expert in contemporary Chinese art, explains that the show is an attempt to provide a Western audience with the tools to help understand the rich variety of artistic expression in today's China. During much of the 20th century, it was common for Chinese artists to follow the Western stalwarts - the favorites being Warhol, Pollock, Picasso and Dal. However, their present-day counterparts, as Sanfo points out, are increasingly looking to their own country's art heritage for inspiration.