For most people, bullfight is the first thing that comes to their mind when they think of Spain. Many Spanish artists, such as Goya and Picasso, draw their inspirations from bullfighting.

So, when Catalonia became the first region in Spain to ban bullfight, effective from Jan 1, 2012, the topic attracted a lot of attention and controversy. Will the bullfight disappear in Spain someday?

Biblioteca Miguel de Cervantes (Cervantes Library), which is the culture department of consulate general of Spain in Shanghai, has organized an exhibition to take a closer look at the ethical and aesthetic concerns posed by the contemporary society to the centuries-old bullfight.

Titled Watch the Bullfight Outside the Fence, the exhibition adopts a diversity of approaches including photographs and movies by such Spanish artists as Isabel Munoz, Cristobal Hara and Maria Canas to demonstrate the complexity of the subject to a local audience.

The exhibition also aims to promote the exchange of views on the art of the bullfight as the Chinese people are not entirely strangers to it.

For example, the Miao and Dong ethnic groups in Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi still celebrate some occasions with bullfights.

Patrons will also learn about the various influences bullfights have on the Spanish culture such as flamenco dance.

To illustrate, there will be flamenco live performance, followed by a series of documentaries about flamenco musicians and dancers on Saturdays.

yangyijun@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 05/20/2012 page15)