"There was no pure expression of abstraction in the Chinese painting traditions for several thousand years, which underlined the approach of imagery as the essence. Therefore I experiment with purely abstract presentation of bamboo in a methodological way."

The two artists became each other's first critic by commenting on the counterpart's art before the opening ceremony.

Schleswig-Holstein says Shan's dedication to specializing in bamboo attests to his Chinese soul; while his German soul explores Western techniques to convey Oriental aesthetics. He intentionally paints at a slow pace.

"Shan says he has a post-modernist personality. He lives a parallel life by painting with ink every morning like a Zen Buddhist; in the evening he paints with oil. He lives with his Chinese and German souls in happy coexistence on a daily basis," she says.

Shan recollects his first visit to Schleswig-Holstein's studio several years ago.

He remembers the big, messy space with paintings hung all over on the wall and the floor covered with paper. Meanwhile he was impressed by its owner, who was calmly creating artwork.

"Her application of colors reflects influences of the Pop Art movement," Shan says. "She assisted Andy Warhol at his New York studio The Factory in the 1980s. But the emotions expressed in her paintings feel quite Oriental, even more than that of my works."