Shanghai: The scholarly exhibition Architecture's Inscriptions, curated by K Michael Hays and Sun Shi Ning, has opened at TANK Shanghai, bringing together contemporary architecture, art, and historical Chinese cultural works.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the exhibition, which runs from July 8 to Oct 7, explores architecture through the concept of inscriptions across different materials, media, and historical periods. It features works by contemporary Chinese architects and artists alongside ancient manuscripts, ink rubbings, scholar's rocks, paintings, and calligraphic works.

The opening ceremony was attended by the curators; exhibition designer Yung Ho Chang; participating architects including Huang Wenjing, Li Hu, Liu Jiakun, Liu Yichun, Zhang Ke, Zhu Xiaofeng, and Zhuang Shen; as well as artists such as Ding Yi, Xu Bing, and Zhan Wang.

Since the 1990s, Professor Hays has developed the concept of architecture's inscriptions through academic research, including collaborations with Dr Sun at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and seminars at Tongji University.

The exhibition is organised into four thematic sections namely, Allography, Unary Trait, Parataxis, and Earth Marks, examining inscription through graphic notations, artistic expression, the relationship between different forms, and architecture's connection to the earth.

An international symposium held at the West Bund Museum on July 9 brought together architects, artists, and scholars to discuss themes including "The Letter, the Line", "Technics | Poetics", and "Earth Marks", extending conversations around architecture, art, and cultural history beyond the exhibition space.