Cantonese artist's 'chubby women' showcased in London

After touring Sydney, Melbourne, Italy and France, Xu Hongfei, a sculptor from south China's Guangdong province, has brought his "chubby women" art series to London.

Fifteen works made by Xu are to be shown on the river bank of Thames for about two weeks, presenting the bronzed, cheerful and energetic women with different postures and expression to western audiences.

"Britain is an important place with great art and culture. It is also the birthplace of contemporary culture. My artworks are full of humor, so I believe the humorous British people can understand them," said Xu Hongfei.

"Sculpture is a common language in the world," Xu said. That means he doesn't have to speak English to explain my works to the audiences. "I hope this exhibition will bring a lot of happiness to audiences."

Xu added: "We have known a lot of famous British artists, however, few Chinese artists are known by British people. Through more exhibitions like this, I believe we can promote communication and have more artists from China to be known in Britain."

Clare Pillman, director of the Department for Culture Media and Sport, said the bilateral relationship between China and Britain was stronger because "our arts and culture transcend international boundaries."

"Reciprocity is key to successful relationships, so the arrival of Xu Hongfei's sculptures in London is very timely and very welcomed," she said.

Nic Husted, a tourist from South Africa, said the sculptures "showed human emotion" and "were moving."

Two exhibitions of Xu's sculptures will also be held in the Italian cities of Turin and Milan this month.

Related: 'Chubby Women' sculptures displayed in Guangzhou