WHAT
In partnership with the Centre Pompidou in Paris, this is an exhibition that showcases Surrealism in a new light – focusing on the movement’s relation with the East. Displaying works from both the Centre Pompidou and the Shanghai Museum, the presentation brings to light the aesthetic dialogue between the East and the West. While Western Surrealist artists challenged western values after directly witnessing World War I, and turned to the East for inspiration, artists from the East approached painting and poetry hand in hand; using this concept, they incorporated elements they drew from Chinese calligraphic works into their own paintings.

WHY
The Surrealist Manifesto was published in Paris in 1924, laying out the groundwork for the artistic movement, which spread widely throughout Europe until the 1960s. Founded by poets, writing was an important component in the creation of art within Surrealism. Chinese calligraphy was first apparent as inspiration in the first ‘automatic drawings’ done by artist André Massion, in which he applied the swiftness of the eastern art form, and where he emphasised the significance of Chinese and Japanese writing. Audiences are sure to enjoy the display of eastern influence on the western movement in this exhibition.