Beijing exhibit highlights empathy, connection

Next to Niu's work is The Secrets from Strangers, a wall-bound installation comprising thousands of stamps and postcards that conjure up the galaxy.

An ongoing project started by artist Jiang Xiaran in 2016 when he was in an artist-in-residence program in Europe, the work captures the power of empathy in helping the artist form connections with strangers he would otherwise have never known.

While traveling around Europe, Jiang sent out nearly 2,000 blank, stamped postcards, to each attached a printed letter in which he revealed his identity and a deeply personal secret before asking the receiver to reciprocate with a secret of their own if they were interested. Almost half wrote back and some even sent Jiang long letters in which they bore their soul to the artist, sharing secrets that they'd never told anybody else.

"It felt incredible that my letter got those strangers to open up to me and reading their secrets made me feel we, whatever our backgrounds are, are like stars shining together in the vast galaxy," Jiang said.