The artist Federico Bacher [Photo Provided to China Daily]

In his works, nature is showcased with various mixed-media pieces, including a 10-meter-long ink painting called Moving Energy / Dragon on rice paper, which was inspired by his experiments with calligraphy techniques.

"One day I was drawing a portrait of my friend, the dancer Iker Arrue," Bacher says. "An idea came into my mind: Why not try it with the Chinese traditional calligraphy brushes I just bought?

Re-creation is second nature

"At that moment my energy flowed ... and with the inspiration from the beautiful gestures of the dancer, I did more than 20 pieces in a single hour - like a creative explosion. It was magic."

His dragons, as a unique mix of his previous works and a feeling for Chinese culture, make their debut in his exhibition in Shanghai.

"I never painted anything like it before, and the theme is my first try of abstract art. It was born here in China," Bacher says.

Bacher calls his studio the temple, and he thinks this summarizes everything.

"My studio is often in divine order and sometimes in great chaos, such as life and the universe, and I live in it and enjoy it," Bacher says.

Highlights of the exhibition also include woodcut prints of a horse, echoing with the Year of the Horse, and a series of portraits with oil on canvases.

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