Chinese and Italian artists share ideas

From the aloe vera and cactuses growing on the beach, to the boats floating on the sea and the farmers plowing the fields — the moment visitors step into the exhibition hall, they find themselves immersed in the sunny scenery of the Italian island of Sicily.

But this is a combined exhibition of different styles, and as visitors ascend the stairs, they are greeted by something completely different. One painting shows the tree of knowledge of good and evil, guarded by traditional Chinese gods, its painting style an homage to Picasso.

Entitled Collision, Conversation and Fusion, this dual exhibition is hosted by the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. It presents works by two artists — Italian painter Lorenzo Chinnici and Zhu Wei, executive director of the university's Tsung-Dao Lee Center of Sciences and Arts.