Reality, Surreality: A Major Exhibition of Contemporary Chinese Painting

Published to accompany Reality, Surreality: A Major Exhibition of Contemporary Chinese Painting this exhibition catalog presents one of the most comprehensive surveys of contemporary Chinese painting in recent years.

Curated by renowned art historian Lü Peng, the exhibition brings together more than 100 paintings by over 50 artists, tracing the evolution of Chinese Surrealism from the experimental New Wave movement of the 1980s to the diverse artistic practices of today. Rather than treating Surrealism as a historical style, the project explores it as an evolving artistic language shaped by rapid social, technological, and cultural change.

The catalog examines how contemporary Chinese painters reinterpret reality through imagination, memory, psychology, and symbolism, creating what the curator describes as a “surreal map of the Chinese psyche.” In addition to scholarly essays, the publication documents a collaborative twenty-meter Surrealist scroll created by participating artists specifically for the exhibition, highlighting the project’s experimental and collective spirit.

Richly illustrated and supported by insightful curatorial texts, Reality, Surreality offers an essential overview of one of the most ambitious exhibitions devoted to contemporary Chinese painting. An indispensable reference for collectors, curators, scholars, and readers interested in Contemporary Art, Asian art, and the global development of Chinese contemporary painting.