Exhibition showcasing a father and daughter's life-long art commitment to the Mogao Grottoes will debut at Tsinghua University Art Museum in Beijing on Tuesday.
About 200 art works and historical records of Chang Shuhong — the former head of the Dunhuang Research Academy focusing on cultural protection and inheritance of the Mogao Grottoes — and his daughter Chang Shana (Saone Chang), will be displayed to show the "everlasting beauty of Dunhuang."
A portrait of Chang Shuhong's family by Chang Shuhong. /Photo via official Sina Weibo account of Tsinghua University
It's been 73 years since the first joint exhibition of the duo's works in 1946, aimed at raising people's awareness in researching and protecting the Mogao Grottoes.
Chang Shuhong (1904-1994) was one of the most prominent Chinese artists studying in France in the first half of the 20th century. Chang decided to return to China to conduct a research into the Dunhuang desert remains, northwest of China's Gangsu Province after encountering a photography collection of the Mogao Grottoes while in France.
A portrait of the Mogao Grottoes by Chang Shuhong. /Photo via official Sina Weibo account of Tsinghua University
In 1943, Chang, along with his colleagues and employees, cleared the caves that were buried by drift sands, excavated and restored relics, and promoted the Mogao Grotto art by copying murals and publishing them. He was hailed the "Guardian of Dunhuang" after dedicating his life to its preservation.
French-born Shana followed her father's steps and began copying Mogao Grottoes murals at 12 years old. Her works featuring the Dunhuang murals were exhibited with those of her father's by age 15.
A copying mural of the Mogao Grottoes by Chang Shana. /Photo via official Sina Weibo account of Tsinghua University
Shana engaged in art design research and education applying the traditional patterns of Dunhuang murals into modern use under the guidance of Lin Huiyin, a renown Chinese architect and writer.
Shana offers another take of the Dunhuang murals through graphic art: from the ceiling decoration of the banquet hall of the Great Hall of the People, to the "Forever Blooming Bauhinia" sculpture — a gift from the central government to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
A copying mural collection of the Mogao Grottoes by Chang Shana. /Photo via official Sina Weibo account of Tsinghua University
The exhibition is divided into the sections "Return from Paris", "Blood Connection," and application of Dunhuang art, tracing the duo's life around the Mogao Grottoes.
The exhibit provides an example of the importance of inheritance and preservation of the ancient Dunhuang culture. For Shana, it's a commemoration of her father and a promise to adhere to Dunhuang, while allowing others to learn about Chinese traditional culture.
(Cover photo via Tsinghua University Art Museum.)