A young visitor views the Han Dynasty-style woman's gown by Taipei-based artist Rosalie Huang. JIANG DONG/CHINA DAILY

He frames the two paintings together, and viewers see shadows from the acrylic subject appearing on the silk and, therefore, creating a third painting.

"The world has become lustrous but also complicated. So it is difficult to tell what is real from what is not. People seek simplicity, which was hailed by our ancestors," says Yang.

The exhibition is part of a project initiated by the Ministry of Culture to support young curators at art museums nationwide.

Liu says few visitors to the museum know what a curator does, and the project will help people know how a curator works.

"We conceive the idea for an exhibition, find artists and work with them to make their works fit the museum environment," she says.

"Together, we tell people what is happening to the art world and how art engages them."

If you go

9 am-5 pm, closed on

Mondays, through March 5. 1 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6400-1476.