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<\/a><\/p>\nA major loan exhibition of contemporary Chinese art presenting works by 35 artists born in China will go on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, beginning December 11. Featuring 70 works in various media\u2014paintings, calligraphy, photographs, woodblock prints, video, and sculpture\u2014that were created during the past three decades, Ink Art: Past as Present in Contemporary China will demonstrate how China\u2019s ancient pattern of seeking cultural renewal through the reinterpretation of past models remains a viable creative path. Although all of the artists have transformed their sources through new modes of expression, visitors will recognize thematic, aesthetic, or technical attributes in their creations that have meaningful links to China\u2019s artistic past. The exhibition will be organized thematically into four parts and will include such highlights as Xu Bing\u2019s dramatic Book from the Sky (ca. 1988), an installation that will fill an entire gallery; Family Tree (2000), a set of vivid photographs documenting a performance by Zhang Huan in which his facial features\u2014and his identity\u2014are obscured gradually by physiognomic texts that are inscribed directly onto his face; and Map of China (2006) by Ai Weiwei, which is constructed entirely of wood salvaged from demolished Qing dynasty temples.<\/p>\n