AN exhibition featuring seven Canadian sculptors is currently running at the Liu Haisu Art Museum in Hongqiao.

All from Calgary, the sculptors showcase the diversity and maturity of the prairie region, says Harry Kiyooka, one of the curators.

The works cannot be grouped into a certain movement, and the range of sculpture on show reflects the plurality of sculpture taking place in the world.

However, their works might be loosely divided into three categories.

The first are those whose works are closely related to European and American mid-20th century art such as Ron Kostyniuk, Honsun Chu and Reinhard Skoracki. They are willing to allow former artists and movements to influence the look of their work.

For many local visitors, the works of Honsun can be easily deciphered as the sculptor believes in combining parts into a unified whole, which unwittingly echoes the Chinese philosophy of yin and yang.

For example, he describes his work titled "New Moon" as different pieces of marble which together make one harmonious form.

The second group comprises Katie Ohe and Walter May whose art arises out of deep personal reflections. They look at the world and filter the view with their own thoughts and feelings in order to obtain a unique personal form.

"Black Shoes," created by May, consists of pairs of adult and children's black leather shoes, each stuffed with a block of charcoal.

The work suggests the intimate relationship of the shoes' wearers, and contrasts the polished leather with the dull black charcoal.

May is concerned about the degradation of our environment and believes that society struggles to deal with problems when they become too complex, the ecology being a prime example.

Finally, a more process-based conceptual approach is found in the work of Eric Cameron and Lylian Klimek.

Cameron applies thick layers of paint to objects readily available in his home such as a shoe, an alarm clock or a head of lettuce. He keeps applying layers of acrylic gesso over the entire object until its original shape is indecipherable.

Here, the most typical sculptural processes and techniques are gone, as a result the sculptor naturally poses his question of what sculpture can be and how it is done.