Folk art craft exhibition resonates with new era

The 9th Shenzhen Folk Art Craft Exhibition presents the diverse landscape of Shenzhen’s folk arts, featuring more than 200 exquisite works across over 40 categories, including pottery, dough sculpture, cotton sculpture, clay sculpture, paper-cutting, embroidery, pyrography, wheat-straw painting, copper engraving, inkstone carving, and woodcarving.

Hosted by the Shenzhen Federation of Literary and Art Circles and co-organized by the Shenzhen Folk Literature and Art Association and the Shenzhen Museum, the exhibition vividly demonstrates the innovative vitality and cultural appeal of folk art in the new era.

Carvings on display at the 9th Shenzhen Folk Art and Craft Exhibition. Photos by Cao Zhen unless otherwise stated

Cloisonné enamelworks and a painted ceramic panel on display.

The show brings together works by national, provincial, and municipal masters, inheritors of intangible cultural heritage, and young innovative artists from Guangdong and Hong Kong. Some pieces revive historical classics with exquisite craftsmanship, while others reinterpret contemporary life through inventive approaches. They include heartfelt depictions of Lingnan culture and fresh narratives of modern China, marrying traditional aesthetic spirit with contemporary design to reveal the diverse values and possibilities of traditional culture today.

A floral piece crafted using filigree inlay technique.

The exhibition is part of the 2025 Shenzhen Community Art Season, which encompasses activities in visual arts, music and dance, theater and stage art, traditional culture, GBA integration, and urban aesthetic education. It is a city-wide, year-round cultural initiative involving municipal, district, community, corporate, and school partnerships. In addition to the exhibition, the Shenzhen Museum will collaborate with local associations and enterprises to launch a series of public benefit activities.

A painting on a stone.

A glance at the exhibition. Photo courtesy of the organizers

Exhibition: Through Nov. 21

Craft demonstration: 2:30-5:30 p.m., Nov. 2

Chinese comedy show: 3-4:30 p.m., Nov. 9

Venue: Shenzhen Museum’s history and folk culture division, Jintian Road, Futian District (深圳博物馆金田路馆-历史民俗)

Metro: Line 2 or 4 to Civic Center Station (市民中心站), Exit B