Living at this prosperous time in China, Luan continues the way of life that we almost forgotten. Riding his bike every day to and from work from the south to the other side of town, he pays no attention to the assortment of cars clogging up the main roads. Occasionally when friends living afar come visiting the Chung Ku Loft in Kunming frequented by artists, he would slip silently into these gatherings, holding his tea cup beaming but rarely speaking his serene state of mind seems to be unmoved by the many changes to others and the society around. He was like this in the past and he is still his same old self now. The dreamy character he portrays in his canvas since the 90’s is still dreaming the same dream – a dream which is out of this world.Perhaps stubbornly, he refuses to integrate `into this new society which is transforming constantly. Without complain and regret, he sits contentedly on the parched lawn under the winter sun, silently observing the people around him struggling excitedly in the flood of the mainstream society.The Chinese proverb says “What you think about during the day, appears in your dreams at night”. The dream world in Luan’s artwork is distant from what most of us dreamt about. This monstrously slender character always wander alone against a backdrop of solemn colors, enjoying the freedom of solitude. Many may think that this is an expression transcending spiritual reality. Perhaps this a rather simplistic explanation for an artist who experienced the Cultural Revolution and the reformation of the economy in China.artworkThe multitude of Chinese contemporary artists surfaced since the ‘80s have used political and social issues as their themes. They have accumulated deep inside their hearts all their struggles from their daily lives. In their artwork, they express their feelings and the conflicts with the society; to some extent, this also serves as a process of spiritual self-healing. Luan’s artwork appears to be bland, making one feeling rather remote. To me, this remoteness is the end result of his self-healing of his pain and suffering. At first glance, his paintings appear to be aloof/ anti-social, sometimes even playful. When one delves deeper, one would feel the tremendous efforts he made to avoid confrontation with his deepest pain and with reality.Certainly, several reviews of Luan’s artwork are included in this exhibition catalogue. It is my wish that, apart from drifting in Luan’s “dreamscape”, the audience can also envision the unseen images.artwork