Newman Huo

A HIGHLIGHT of the China Cup International Regatta was the F!F! Art Space held Saturday in the private Sea Villa in Nan’ao, Longgang District, about 30 minutes’ drive from the Longcheer Yacht Club at Daya Bay.

The one-day art exhibition featured works by Huang Bingpei, Han Jiaying, Li Quan, Liu Xiaodong, Mi Qiu, Wang Xu, Wu Wenguang, Wen Hui, Xiao Quan and Zhang Yuan, avant-garde artists, designers and photographers from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.

“The art show is about wind and sail, featuring some experimental works of contemporary Chinese art,” said Han Jiaying, one of the exhibitors and the exhibition organizer who is an acclaimed designer in China.

“Shenzhen has rich maritime resources, but the city’s artists have never tried to take advantage of this in their works,” Han said.

“Through this art show, we also intended to create a greater awareness in the city’s residents and artists, of the close connection between art and nature,” he said.

Using various materials and media, participating artists have expressed their understanding of modern life and social changes in their works, trying to find a balance between modern art and the environment.

The artist Zhang Yuan’s work, titled “Social Changes in History,” is actually made up of several TV sets and DVD players, which continuously play documentary films shot during the “Cultural Revolution” (1966-1976).

“Modern China has gone through a lot of social, political, economic and cultural changes over the past century, and Chinese people are today continuing to witness the dramatic changes of their times,” said Zhang, who graduated from the Beijing Academy of Film in 1989.

Titled “Black, White and Golden,” Han Jiaying’s work comprises dozens of yellow drum-like round benches placed on a base of sandstone.

“Black refers to the dark sky; white, the waves; and golden, the stars,” Han said. “Sitting on these round benches, visitors can hear the sound of the waves from afar.”

The artist has tried to provide a kind of artistic atmosphere where visitors can experience a close relationship with nature.

The Guangzhou-based internationally acclaimed designer Wang Xu’s work, titled “Catching the Wind,” is a five-meter-long T-shirt floating in a swimming pool.

The Chengdu-born photographer Xiao Quan’s work comprises five large portraits pasted on boards and placed on sand.

“The people in my photographs are aged from about four to more than 80 who were born and grew up by the seaside,” Xiao said. “From reading their faces, we may begin to understand the secrets of the ocean,” he said.

The 47-year-old artist Huang Bingpei, from Hong Kong, built a boat in the waters of the Sea Villa, on which he installed a pine tree and some shrubs.

“Depending on their feelings and viewpoints, some visitors may see this boat as a mirage, an oasis on the ocean or even a piece of virgin land on the earth,” Huang said.