A CONTEMPORARY Nordic art exhibition is being held in the Shanghai Art Museum. Twenty-four artists from Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway present 52 pieces of work on the third floor of the museum.

　　This exhibition, entitled "Beyond Paradise", offers a rare opportunity to encounter modern Nordic art in a wide range of media.

　　New art from Northern Europe started to gain a position in the mainstream during the 1990s. Absorbing elements from its own cultural heritage, Nordic art makes full use of modern technology and diversified media. Obvious characteristics of Nordic art are revealed by their search for a unique cultural identity.

　　The exhibits display these characteristics: delicacy, romance, sensitivity, an attention to individual feelings and experiences related to the environment and to contemporary society.

　　The renowned melancholy of Northern countries as well as their drastic interior conflicts are also traceable.

　　More than one artist chose blonde hair as a subject. Helena Hietanen presented an installation "Painting With Asian Blonde", a work consisting of different colours of blonde hair mounted on the wall.

　　Hietanen used human hair imported from Asia by the European wigmaking industry and hair salons. The artist questions cultural ideas and concepts related to female beauty.

　　The video art works are especially impressive and interesting, making a sharp contrast to the video works in local art events. Some are lyrical - one of the works pictures trees, insects and quiet sounds beside a summer pond, and another pictures a calf in the night, nibbling and staring at the camera with his large and bright eyes.

　　Shanghai is the only stop in China for the "Nordic Artists Travel East" show, and the last stop of the tour.

　　March 26-April 15

　　Shanghai Art Museum