The Guangming International Public Art Season has returned for its third edition, bringing an expansive outdoor art exhibition titled “Natural Co-community” to Hongqiao Park.
The exhibition, free to the public, runs through Feb. 28, 2026, turning the park landscapes into a large open-air museum where contemporary art merges seamlessly with nature.
As one of Guangming District’s Top 10 cultural brands, the Public Art Season has been building an artistic legacy year after year. Works from the previous two editions are now installed in local parks, cultural halls, and arts centers.
Drawing on the foundation of its earlier explorations, this year’s program broadens its artistic vocabulary. Evolving from “Nature × Art,” the new edition embraces a more forward-looking proposition: “Nature × Art × Technology.” This shift responds to contemporary cultural interests and opens new avenues for public engagement.
Across Hongqiao Park, artworks are woven among trees, hills, and water.
“Nodding Machines” by Shen Shaomin
Three brightly painted “nodding machines” reinterpret the form of traditional oil pump jacks. Their former identity as heavy, industrial machinery disappears beneath red, yellow, and blue coatings, turning them into almost toy-like features in the park. Once symbols of resource extraction, these machines now stand as playful, abstract objects that spark reflection on our relationship with nature and industry — a transformation that is both humorous and thought-provoking.
“BDO Syndrome” by Deng Xiao
Deng Xiao presents two conceptually charged sculptures defined by deep black surfaces and endlessly reflective mirrors. Together they invite viewers to step beyond the pull of gravity and contemplate a space where science fiction meets philosophy.
“BDO” stands for Big Dumb Object — mysterious, monumental, and almost absurd structures often found in speculative fiction. In these works, a large black oval encases a slowly rotating mirrored core. As it turns, the mirror continuously fractures, captures, and recomposes the surrounding space — bending light, reflections, and even the viewer’s own image.
“Sunbathing Sunflower” by Xu Ge
This poetic and technology-driven public artwork features a sunflower that blooms not under sunlight, but in the darkness of night.
During the day, the sunflower “sunbathes,” quietly absorbing sunlight and storing energy. Its most striking transformation, however, occurs after sunset, when its photovoltaic petals light up one by one using the energy collected earlier.