Artist reads Mogao's memories

Xie revisited Dunhuang in 2018, and stayed for another three weeks. The two visits inspired him to complete the residence program, and the paintings, drawings, installations and sculptures he produced as a result are now on show at the Tsinghua University Art Museum.

Curated by Wu Hong, Amber of History: Reimagining the Library Cave at Dunhuang, introduces viewers to Xie's own poetic meditations, based on archaeological findings, of the glorious past and historic scars of Dunhuang and the Mogao Caves.

It especially focuses on the scrolls and books found in Library Cave, or Cave 17, which he views as a cache preserving the memories, feelings and knowledge of those who spent their lives trying to understand the universe and the relationship between people and the world, as if preserved in amber. The exhibition runs through to May 5.