Beyond the Page: When Paper Becomes Art

A simple sheet of paper can become a work of art. This is the idea behind Beyond the Page, the exhibition at the Power Station of Art, which explores how, throughout the twentieth century, paper evolved from a mere support for text and images into a medium for artistic experimentation. The exhibition brings together works by leading figures of modern and contemporary art, including Henri Matisse, Salvador Dalí, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Zao Wou-Ki, and Sanyu, revealing how each artist explored the relationship between image, printmaking, graphic design, and materiality. Artists' books, prints, engravings, and publishing projects reveal a lesser-known aspect of their practice, where the creative process unfolds through the printed page.
At a time when our lives are increasingly shaped by screens, Beyond the Page invites visitors to rediscover the tactile pleasure of paper and the book as an artistic object. The exhibition also features a selection of publications by contemporary Chinese designers, which visitors are encouraged to browse. Curated by Mei Shuzhi, one of China's most influential graphic designers, and the award-winning book designer Pan Yanrong, the exhibition demonstrates that a page can be far more than something to read—it can become a space to look at, touch, and experience.