Two new exhibitions have opened at Shenzhen Art Museum's Longhua division, offering a rare chance to see Dunhuang decorative art and Tibetan thangka craft up close.
'Everlasting Beauty of Dunhuang'
Five thematic sections and nearly 300 works trace more than 80 years of Chang Shana's dedication to Dunhuang art in this exhibition.
Born in Lyon, France, to a Hangzhou family, Chang entered the Mogao Caves with her father at 12 and spent a lifetime carrying Dunhuang patterns into architecture, objects, and daily life. Her works include the caisson ceiling lantern in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and the "Forever Blooming Bauhinia" sculpture gifted to the Hong Kong SAR.
The first section tells how her father, Chang Shuhong, gave up a comfortable life in Paris to protect the Mogao Caves, and how a young girl grew up in the desert alongside him. The second brings visitors close to her copies: "The Contemplation of Amitayus Sutra Transformation," completed at 15 and nearly the size of the original mural, was copied by faint light reflected off white paper. Also shown are "Bodhisattva in Contemplation," "Dipankara Buddha," and father-daughter letters—together in Shenzhen for the first time. The third centers on her flower sketches and decades of pattern research, with porcelain, dolls, textiles, and cloisonné bringing millennia-old motifs into everyday life.
Dates: Through Dec. 13
Thangka art
"Buddhist Sublimity: The Regong Niangben Thangka Art Exhibition" showcases the brilliance of thangkas presented by Niangben, a Chinese arts and crafts master and a representative inheritor of "Regong art."
His 63 works cover colored, gold, black, and red thangkas in a gallery styled with Tibetan eaves and bright color blocks. Thangka, a scroll painting on cloth or paper, is hailed as an "encyclopedia of the Tibetan people"; a large complex piece can take up to two years. Painted with mineral pigments, thangkas cover Buddhist figures, sutra narratives, astronomy, medicine, and folk customs.
The works range from Buddhas and bodhisattvas to nested mandalas and astronomical charts. A highlight is a monumental team work wrapping around a red wall, depicting Jataka stories and landscapes—a single scroll unfolding into a history of Tibetan civilization.
Dates: Through Jan. 3, 2027
Venue: Shenzhen Art Museum (Longhua Division), Longhua District (深圳美术馆新馆)
Metro: Line 4 or 6 to Hongshan Station (红山站), Exit A1
