Cultural Valley of Ou River, A Group Show

Originating in the mountains of southern Zhejiang Province, the 388-km Ou River flows eastward, traversing valleys, towns and cities before dashing into the Pacific Ocean. In contrast to its remote and isolated location, people from the region are famous for their adventurous mentality, and courage to leave their hometown and explore the outside world. Since the 1980s when China reopened to the outside world, the region has become a forerunner of the economic reform, and led the process of privatization in China. Numerous private companies, entrepreneurs and scholars have emerged from here, this includes a group of outstanding contemporary artists.

Cultural Valley of Ou River, A Group Show is a group exhibition featuring 23 artists whose origins are from the region. They represent successive generations of Chinese artists who were born in the 1970s, '80s, '90s and Gen Z. Today they live and work in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and places around Europe, however, at some point in their lives, they have been closely related to the region. The Ou River has nourished them, inspired them, and led them onto their artistic pursuits.

The exhibition examines the dynamic interactions between culture and nature, the intricate connections between creativity and cultural landscape, be it ancestral heritage, personal experiences, or grand narratives of history and society. The French writer and sociologist Didier Eribon wrote in his deeply autobiographical book Returning to Reims, that the factors that determined his entire life were when and where he was born. The life trajectories of the artists featured in this exhibition have been intertwined with China's economic and social reforms in the past 40 years.

Much as Wenzhou occupies a unique position in China's economic development, the artists from the Ou River Valley have participated in and contributed to the vibrant ecosystem of Chinese contemporary art. From the nearby to the faraway, from hometown to foreign land, while the artists may travel further and further away from their native place, their creative minds will always benefit from the memories of their hometown. This exhibition stems from an idea conceived years ago by the founder of HOW Art Museum, a Wenzhou entrepreneur and art patron Mr. Zheng Hao. To mark the museum's 8th anniversary and its 100th exhibition, this exhibition expresses gratitude to the art world and to the city of Shanghai, which many of us embrace as our own hometown.