In 2007, the art historian and curator Lu Peng invited a group of Chinese contemporary artists including Zeng Fanzhi, Zhang Xiaogang, Zhou Chunya, Ye Yongqing, Yue Minjun, Wang Guangyi, Mao Xuhui, Wu Shanzhuan, and Zhang Peili to gather at a resort of Sanya for a ‘brush event’. The artists were asked to explore traditional medium of ink and color using brush on rice paper in reinterpreting the most recognizable themes and imageries within their oeuvre. Like the Orchid Pavilion gathering organized by Wang Xizhi in the Six Dynasties, the Sanya gathering after 1600 years brought contemporary artists together for mutual inspiration and artist creation, reviving the great literati traditional in the Chinese history.

Untitled (Landscape) by Zhang Xiaogang depicts two loudspeakers in an unidentifiable landscape. The thin red line connecting the two is reminiscent of the bloodline connecting the expressionless figures in the artist’s most famed ‘Bloodline: The Big Family’ series. For Zhang, the red line represents the unbreakable tie amongst family members in the turbulent era of the Cultural Revolution, a decade long national event which traumatized and separated millions of families. In this painting, the extended red line leads to the far right, forming a parallel line to the ground, and appearing to be defunct. Therefore, although the primary function of loudspeaker is to make announcement, it is downgraded to a landmark without real functionality due to breakdown of the circuit. The desolate landscape becomes a symbol of deprivation of self-expression and muted melancholy.