Li Hongbo’s paper installation Ocean of Flowers is on show at the Today Art Museum in Beijing on July 25, 2020. [Photo by Yang Xiaoyu/chinadaily.com.cn]

A fish-eye lens on the contemporary exploration of paper's new possibilities, the show has drawn mixed reviews from art critics.

Zhang Gan, a professor with the Arts & Design Academy of Tsinghua University, praised the exhibition for "raising a great question about how we should deal with the relationship between our tradition and the times".

"Admittedly, we can no longer pride ourselves on making the best paper in the world, as like porcelain, Chinese people are now more willing to buy imported ones, " Zhang said. "And it's great to see artists explore its artistic possibilities and help it gain a new lease on life, as China's paper tradition is waning in modern society."

"The exhibition shows contemporary art outperforms traditional art in exploring the properties of paper, giving us a fresh understanding of the material," commented Wang Duanting, a professor with the Chinese National Academy of Arts.