Peng Wei's painting-sculpture on show. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts is showcasing the creations of six Chinese artists at a contemporary art exhibition in England. These artists have reimagined traditional Chinese art materials, infusing them with fresh interpretations.

Titled Spirit Matters: Traditional Culture in Chinese Contemporary Art, the exhibition has transformed a gallery at the School of Art, Birmingham City University, into a space where the featured artists present their artistic explorations aimed at reshaping Eastern aesthetics.

Liu Jianhua is renowned for redefining conventional perceptions of ceramics, a long-standing material in Chinese craftsmanship. Displayed in his exhibition are stacks of "sands" that, upon closer inspection, reveal themselves to be crafted from porcelain.

Meanwhile, Liang Shaoji has cultivated a deep bond with silkworms for over three decades, nurturing them and incorporating silk into his artworks as a homage to China's rich silk heritage. He regards these silkworms as his collaborators in art and as architects of a temporal bridge linking the past with the present.

Xiao Yu's video pieces encapsulate the transformation of bamboo, a symbol of integrity, as it is twisted, folded, and fragmented.

Fan Bo seamlessly incorporates traditional Chinese medicines into his artwork, while Peng Wei transforms ink paintings into three-dimensional sculptures by adhering paper to mannequins, painting on them, and then removing the models once the paint has dried, resulting in painted sculptures.

Guo Gong's installations redefine perceptions of wood by showcasing its flexibility and boundless potential as a material.