History and myth meet minimalistic modern art

Photo provided to China Daily

The piece in the shape of a Buddha's hand extends as long as 6.7 meters. It has been built from recycled copper, and Zhang intentionally kept traces of the welding and rough edges.

"Zhang Huan has paid continual attention to the spiritual world and future of all humanity," says Emmanuel Lenain, consul general of France in Shanghai. "Zhang Huan is dedicated to expanding the boundaries - between the East and the West, past and the future, subjects and expression."

Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara came to Shanghai and was an artist in residence at the museum before the opening.

He built a small house, named Yogya Bintang House Mini, with wooden boards for walls and asbestos shingles for the roof, on the second floor exhibition space.

Looking from the window, visitors find the simulation of the Nara's studio in the 1970s and '80s. Piles of draft drawings scatter on the floor; a vintage stereo player sits by the wall; and the artist's desk leans by the window, filled with unfinished drawings, figurines of his creation, and other small items.

A huge billboard of Bintangon, an Indonesian beer brand with its unique alcohol-free line of products, is installed on the roof. It evokes memories of innocent childhoods and long, lost summer days, says Mona Qian, a journalist attending the preview.