Visitors in front of Shi Jinsong's artwork at the exhibition. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The new exhibition at Jiushi Art Center at Bund 18 Art Center in downtown Shanghai features two contemporary sculptors Yang Dongbai and Shi Jinsong. Going on through June 23, "The Spirit of Anatta" showcases 30 pieces/sets of artworks by the two artists.

A group of sculptures by Yang Dongbai. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Borrowing the Buddhism idea of Anatta, which holds that there is no permanent, underlying substance in humans that can be called the soul, these two artists hoped to lead audiences into a passage devoid of materialistic bounds, and find inner peace and freedom.

Yang is a Shanghai-based artist born in 1959. All the artworks on exhibition have been created in the past year and half. He had air inflated to pieces of steel smoldered together to create forms and imagery that remind visitors of traditional Chinese ink paintings.

Yang Dongbai (far right) introduces his sculpture to visitors. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Shi, who was born in 1969, created a series of intertwining forms with dried wood. Taking advantage of the natural twists and curves of the wood, he turned the forms into a shadow game by giving audiences a flashlight.