Well Worth the Journey, a multi-media exhibition focusing on the final stage of life, is currently running at the Today Art Museum.
The exhibition confronts questions about life that are often quietly avoided yet inevitably faced, introducing the core concepts and practical approaches of palliative care to the public. It seeks to ensure that every life is gently understood, fully respected, and firmly supported in its final chapter, ultimately reaching a unique state of "fulfillment." Visitors are encouraged to embrace the present with calmness and sincerity, speaking honestly to themselves, their loved ones, and their own life journeys.
The curatorial team has integrated the essential dimensions of palliative care—life awareness, living in the moment, the transmission of love, and practical action—into five core exhibition areas. Through artistic engagement, audiences are guided on an inner journey from perceiving life to self-reflection and ultimately to meaningful action.
The artists are not just creators but also "recorders of life". Drawing on personal or witnessed experience of illness, loss and resilience, they transform abstract existential dilemmas into tangible and deeply resonant narratives.
In Qiubai's "Forty Days of Mr. Qiubai," viewers encounter a terminally ill patient who persists in painting and writing during his last 40 days in a palliative care ward, making the work itself a direct vessel of "life's yearning." Wang Chuan's "Manuscripts of Spiritual Life" collages notes and photos from his battle with cancer, documenting his psychological transformation from despair to miraculous recovery. Wang Naigong's photobook "Jiu'er" records the daily life of a mother of three in her final days, capturing the "authenticity of life amid fragmented pain" through a delicate lens.
New media artworks further expand the boundaries of expression. Zhang Weidi and Luo Jieliang's "Seven Seconds" uses artificial intelligence to convert fragmented oral memories into synthesized images, exploring the possibilities of preserving and reconstructing memory. Zhou Yichen's "Grandma" uses video games as a medium, to immerse viewers in experiences of companionship, loss, and remembrance. Together, these works render the themes of death and farewell more approachable and resonant, building a multidimensional artistic bridge for dialogue about life.
Amidst these profound themes of life and farewell, the exhibition features a dedicated children's interactive area, creating a warm and imaginative space within the larger narrative.
Independent artist Lan Maomao's series "Amon's Spiritual Journey" uses warm strokes to depict the little red monster, representing "love," as it experiences fear, courage, and growth throughout its journey. The section also includes several young artists from Banana Art Studio and Annie Art Studio. Through painting, photography and installations, children express their unique understanding of life cycles, farewells, and choices. Their innocent perspective softens the heavy themes of life and death and reminds visitors that life's joys and regrets deserve gentle care.
Audience participation is central to the exhibition's design. Carefully conceived interactive elements extend the experience from passive observation to active dialogue and introspection. In the "Fulfillment in the Present" section, the art installation "Anchoring in the Present" invites viewers to watch an ice figure slowly melt, offering a visceral reminder of life's transience and the value of "the moment". In the "Self-Love and Great Love" section, the "Proper Farewell" phone booth allows visitors to voice unspoken words to unreachable numbers, creating a space for emotional release.
The later interactive designs become more action-oriented. The "Four Stages of Life" area provides theme cards prompting visitors to write apologies to those they have hurt, express love, offer thanks to benefactors, or bid farewell to lingering attachments. Unresolved feelings are given a "constructive outlet," encouraging clarity and connection in the present. The "If Life Had Only 24 Hours Left..." installation prints a personalized countdown wish list, inviting reflection on "the person they most want to see" and "the thing they most want to let go"—not as "final words," but as a direct reminder to "cherish the present."
A special "Palliative Care" educational area systematically explains the origins, definitions, and core concepts of modern palliative care. Through multidisciplinary collaboration, palliative care provides comprehensive physical and psychological care for terminally ill patients, aiming to enhance the quality of life and ensure comfort, peace, and dignity. The exhibition also addresses common misconceptions: palliative care is not "giving up treatment," nor synonymous with "euthanasia." Rather it upholds the quality and dignity of life for terminally ill patients through holistic care, helping audiences form a clearer understanding of its purpose.
The exhibition runs through March 1, 2026.
