Transforming poems into paintings

The gallery is located at Bai Work on Hong Kong Road, a European-style building constructed in 1920 that has been transformed into a complex for culture and arts, offices and retail. Situated in the metropolis' historical commercial Bund, the building is surrounded by historical architecture and landmark sites.

Now, Dai's vivid brushwork is diversifying the area's cultural tableau by celebrating the depth of classical literature and the tradition of ink art. This inaugural exhibition, running until Oct 8, is a colorful narrative of Dai's lifelong oath: "With Chinese brush and ink, (I) paint the tales of China."

Between 1987 and 1991, Dai created 56 paintings inspired by Song ci poetry, done in the gongbi (meticulous brushwork) style of Chinese painting on silk. These works were featured in a collection of illustrated books published in 2025, which also cataloged his paintings drawn from Tang Dynasty (618-907) poetry and famed literary works of other periods.