Shaping the French connection

"Sculpture goes beyond the description of words. It's alive, and it moves all the time. It reveals our inner faith. And for each visitor to this exhibition, every work will be unique to him or her. All they need to do is to stand before the work, read it, and they will breathe together and create a special space of their own."

This exhibition echoes Wu Weishan's solo exhibition, Sculpting the Souls, currently running at the National Museum of China, which shows both works of great momentum and others that reflect touching moments from daily life, he says.

In early May, one of Wu's works, a bronze relief titled Centennial Monument, was installed at a square in the French commune of Montargis. A century ago, dozens of young Chinese students joined a work-study program in the commune, where they learned techniques and advanced their thoughts which later helped to empower their home country.

Wu's work portrays several members of this group: some later became revolutionaries and politicians, such as Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping, as well as 20th-century artist Xu Beihong.