Unlike past exhibitions, “1988: Liu Wei, Zeng Hao, Ren Xiaolin” does not focus on categorizing the creative styles of these three artists, nor does it follow the model of 1587, A Year of No Significance, using seemingly small events to weave a sweeping historical narrative. This exhibition sets off from a story that unfolded between Beijing, Guiyang, and Kunming from 1987 to 1988, a drifting interaction that draws us back to Chinese contemporary art in the 1980s and 90s, a time before the professionalization of artists, when there was no art ecosystem to speak of, and the strong individuals and groups therein.

“1988” implies a recollection and longing for a form of artistic exchange. In that distant era, young people came together out of ideals, set off down a shared path, made friendships through painting, and in the process of wandering and seeking, came to affirm themselves in each other. Compared to the artists of today, they had more relaxed yet more self-sufficient outlooks on life, and acted with brash yet assured artistic ignorance. Perhaps this is the true significance of art to life.