Organizers deliver speeches at the opening ceremony of the Asian Art Museum.

Attendees engage in conversation during the opening of the Asian Art Museum in Haikou, on December 18, 2025. (Photo: Eva Molaro)

A visitor admires examples of Italian artwork at the opening of the new Asian Art Museum. (Photo: Eva Molaro)

December 18 was already destined to be a historic day for Hainan. As the island officially entered special customs operations as a Free Trade Port, marking a new phase of openness and institutional experimentation, another kind of opening unfolded quietly yet powerfully in Haikou: the inauguration of the Asia Art Museum and its first exhibition, At the Moment of Customs Closure: Convergence and Reshaping.

I attended the opening with my children, and that personal detail mattered more than I expected. While policy shifts and institutional milestones framed the day, what stayed with me was how effortlessly art transformed a complex historical moment into something human, accessible, and shared across generations, cultures, and languages.

Ink paintings on display at the newly opened Asian Art Museum. (Photo: Eva Molaro)

A Museum Opening That Felt Like a Gathering

From the moment we entered the space, the atmosphere felt open rather than ceremonial. The museum's generous layout allowed visitors to move freely, linger, and talk. My children immediately responded to the scale of the galleries, darting from one room to another, stopping in front of sculptures and striking up conversations with artists who were present and visibly happy to engage. This sense of ease was palpable throughout the opening. Art-world authorities, collectors, curators, artists, and families mingled naturally. Conversations moved fluidly between aesthetics and everyday life. It felt less like an elite art event and more like a celebration: festive, curious, and relaxed.

In retrospect, this atmosphere perfectly echoed the exhibition's premise: that moments of transformation are not only institutional or political but lived through a shared dialogue anchored in human expression.

Ceramic sculptures on display at the Asian Art Museum. (Photo: Eva Molaro)

Contemporary Energy

Among the many compelling works on display, National First-Class Artist Zhu Kun stood out as a central presence. Zhu exhibited more than one hundred works, and his paintings formed a powerful backbone to the exhibition's visual rhythm.

Zhu Kun's abstract, heavily textured paintings resist easy categorization. They integrate the spirit of traditional Chinese art with abstract composition, mixed materials, and the physicality of Western oil painting. Thick surfaces, layered pigments, and tactile density give his works a sculptural quality, inviting viewers to experience them not just visually, but physically. What makes Zhu's work especially compelling in this context is how naturally it embodies a sort of sensory strength and vitality through texture and bold colours. American artist Jane Jinx, who attended the opening, shared that she was most impressed by Zhu Kun's work, appreciating both the scale of his contribution and the emotional force of the paintings. Her reaction echoed what I observed repeatedly throughout the space: visitors stopping, returning, and lingering in front of Zhu's works, drawn in by their density and quiet intensity.

Some of Zhu Kun's works exhibited at the gallery. (Photo: Eva Molaro)

An International Dialogue

The exhibition brought together artists from China, Italy, Argentina, Russia, and beyond, working across painting, sculpture, installation, performance, video, and poetry. Italian artists, curated by Rosanna Ossola, contributed a particularly strong presence, their works interwoven seamlessly with those of Chinese and other international artists. Rather than organizing the exhibition by nationality, the curatorial approach emphasized conversation. Materials, gestures, and visual languages spoke to one another across rooms, reinforcing the idea that contemporary art operates in a shared space of questions rather than fixed identities.

Rosanna Ossola, reflecting on the opening, captured this spirit succinctly: "I'm very happy to see so many people interested in modern art. Art brings people from all over the world together, allowing us to share emotions and impressions as human beings. I hope to continue promoting modern art in Hainan and allow more people here to have access to valuable and unique works of art that are unavailable anywhere else." Her words felt especially apt in a setting where collectors, artists, and first-time visitors were all engaging with the works on equal footing.

Art as a Shared Experience

What struck me most, was how naturally the exhibition functioned as a shared experience. There was no pressure to "understand" everything. Instead, curiosity led the way. My kids asked artists questions. Artists answered patiently. People laughed, pointed, took pictures, and stood quietly in front of paintings.

This accessibility did not dilute the exhibition's intellectual depth. On the contrary, it reinforced the idea that contemporary art gains meaning when it becomes part of lived experience rather than remaining an abstract discourse.

Attendees pose for a photo outside the venue. (Photo: Eva Molaro)

A Promising Beginning

This inaugural exhibition held at the Asian Art Museum establishes a future direction, one rooted in openness, international dialogue, and responsiveness to context. Opening on a day when Hainan redefined its economic and institutional relationship with the world, the museum offered a parallel vision: cultural exchange, emotional resonance, and shared imagination are just as essential to openness as policy frameworks. Walking out of the museum with my children, it felt clear that this was not just the opening of a new space, but the beginning of a cultural conversation, one that promises to evolve alongside Hainan itself.