Oct. 25, at NYU Shanghai, will forever be remembered by the opening of NYU Shanghai Art Gallery - and the day on which a world-renowned artist used NYU Shanghai as the grounds for a stunning exhibition. The inaugural show Ode to Dancing Ink was a success not only among the University leadership, honorable guests, and also among our students. Ode to Dancing Ink is an exhibition by a prominent artist Qin Feng. Qin Feng was born in 1961 in Xinjiang Province. He considers himself a part of the Chinese avant-garde art movement. Although rooted in Chinese ink painting tradition, his work was influenced by the west. In the 1990’s he moved to Berlin where his art started to fully resemble a marriage of traditional Chinese art and European modernism. Qin Feng’s goal was to provide a meaningful link between new generations of both cultures. For the internationally acclaimed artist, moving to the United States later on in his career meant fellowship and residency with the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire and performances at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and Asia Pacific Museum in California. This time around Qin Feng presented his work at the NYU Shanghai Art Gallery. It features his paintings, installations, and interactive art. During the opening, Qin Feng created an art piece in collaboration with NYU Shanghai students. Student volunteers had a task to write a memory of their past birthday on a 10-meter long scroll. They could choose to communicate their chronicles from an array of instruments such as stories, drawings, poems, and lyrics. Luke Roesler, one of the student contributors, commented on the piece: The event was very interesting. Many guests from the Shanghai and international community attended. The art piece was composed during the event [by members of the NYU Shanghai community]. In addition to writing their birthday, participants noted an accompanying sentence, describing their best memory. At the end of the event, the piece contained a diversity of colors, dates, and memories that was representative of the community itself. Qian Lin, the director of NYU Shanghai Art Gallery, has high hopes for the University’s future in the realm of art. Following the formal opening this Sunday, in addition to putting together a few exhibitions every year, she plans to organize various events such as workshop and lectures. Vice Chancellor Jeffrey Lehman in his speech at the ceremony noted the role of art as a key factor signifying the growth of NYU Shanghai as an educational and research center. If you have missed the grand opening this Sunday you can visit the NYU Shanghai Art Gallery on the first floor of the Academic Building and enjoy pieces by the world renowned Qin Feng. The exhibition closes Nov. 22. This article was written by Lana Kugli . Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Dylan Crow