He Art Museum Opens: Ruan Lirong’s “At Will” Exhibition Debuts at Taihe Law Firm

Spring ushers in a new season, and all things sing in harmony. On May 15, with the official opening of “As You Wish—Ruan Lirong: He Art Museum Spring 2026 Exhibition,” the He Art Museum… Taihe Law Firm A brand-new beginning.
 

Chen Guohuan, former Vice Chairman of the Jiangsu Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Chairman of the Provincial Folk Artists Association, Executive Vice President of the Provincial Aesthetics Society, and Executive Vice President of the Provincial Arts and Crafts Industry Association; Sun Mei, Vice President of the Provincial Enterprise Confederation; Mou Keming, President of the Provincial Association for Sino‑Foreign Social and Cultural Exchanges, a First‑Class Artist, and a member of the China Artists Association; Ling Jianping, former First‑Class Researcher at the United Front Work Department of the Provincial Party Committee and Deputy Secretary‑General of the Provincial Overseas Chinese Federation; and the Cultural Exchange Department of the Jiangsu Provincial Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese. Fourth-level Researcher Wu Hongwei, Deputy Secretary-General of the Overseas Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Institute, Zhan Xiaoru, Party Secretary of the School of Arts at Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Dean Shen Yizhen, along with numerous artists, industry professionals, and art enthusiasts, gathered to witness this significant moment of cross‑disciplinary integration between art and the legal sphere.
 

This exhibition, themed “As the Heart Wishes,” presents forty-six exquisite works recently created by Mr. Ruan Lirong. With their spare yet refined brushwork and evocative, far‑reaching artistic realms, the pieces offer viewers a serene and unhurried visual feast, while also marking the official public debut of the He Art Museum as a humanistic space where law and art converge.
 
 

The Intersection of Law and Art
 

This art exhibition is jointly organized by the Jiangsu Provincial Association for Sino-Foreign Social and Cultural Exchange, the Jiangsu Provincial Federation of Enterprises, the Jiangsu Provincial Entrepreneurs Association, the Guofeng Calligraphy and Painting Institute of the Jiangsu Provincial China Democratic League, and Taihe Law Firm. Nanjing Zhengyatang , hosted by the He Art Museum. Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics General Store, Xinhua All-Media Art Museum, and Zhuzi Art Museum, Nanjing Ten Dynasties Art Museum , co-organized by the Xu Beihong Art Museum in Suzhou, the Twenty-Four-Hour Art Museum, the Nanjing Pharmaceutical Art Museum, the Space Digital Art Space, and Xin Kong Yuxiang Cultural Development (Nanjing) Co., Ltd. Supported by the Overseas Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Institute of the Jiangsu Provincial Federation of Overseas Chinese and the School of Arts at Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology.
 

The He Art Museum has been officially unveiled.
 

At the opening ceremony, He Art Museum was officially inaugurated in the presence of all the guests, marking a significant milestone in the brand’s upgrade from the former Taihe Gallery.

Independent curator Liu Ping offered guests an in-depth analysis of the rich concepts and underlying meanings behind the He Art Museum’s logo. He noted that the museum’s inception marks the completion of a brand upgrade for the former “Taihe Gallery,” transitioning from a gallery to an art museum and, with a more comprehensive spatial framework and professional management, striving to become a humanistic space where law and art converge.

“Harmony” is the very essence of the Chinese Daoist tradition.

“The ‘harmony’ is,” When one follows the Way of Nature, all things coexist in harmony.

“The ‘harmony’ is,” Its essence is not singular, yet harmony is achieved amidst diversity.

“The ‘harmony’ encompasses threefold realms: ‘When the mean is attained, heaven and earth take their places’—this is the order of nature, participating in and assisting in creation and nurturing, which is called ‘heavenly harmony’; ‘The noble person is harmonious yet does not seek uniformity’—ritual distinguishes differences, music guides harmony, and all nations may be brought into accord, which is called ‘human harmony’; ‘Before joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure arise, this is the mean; when they arise, each conforms to the proper measure, this is harmony’—cultivating oneself with reverence, letting every expression follow the middle way, which is called ‘heart‑level harmony.’”
 

The great virtue of heaven and earth is life; only harmony can nurture. The true meaning of harmony is continuity, and the more its principle is revealed, the more it becomes clear that only harmony can endure.
 

This interpretation deepened the attending guests’ understanding of the He Art Museum’s brand ethos.
 

Director’s Address
 

Julie, Director of the He Art Museum, extended a warm welcome and heartfelt gratitude to the guests in attendance. She noted that the museum’s opening marks not only a revitalization of its physical space but also a continuation of its original mission. Since the inaugural exhibition at Taihe Gallery in 2017, the museum has successfully presented twenty exhibitions, each featuring masterpieces by renowned calligraphers and painters, earning widespread acclaim and deep resonance within the art community. Today, the He Art Museum carries forward this artistic legacy, leveraging a more comprehensive venue and professional management to further build bridges between law and the arts.

Opening Remarks by Tai He
  

In his address, Attorney Li Yuanyang, Director of the Management Committee of Taihe Law Firm, stated that, as one of the organizers of this exhibition, Taihe has consistently sought to transform a professional, rigorously structured legal space into a vessel for artistic expression. The works of Mr. Ruan Lirong, with their distinctive calligraphic and ink‑based language and a creative ethos of “following one’s heart without overstepping the bounds,” engage in a subtle yet profound dialogue with the legal profession’s pursuit of “freedom and order.”

Acting according to one’s heart without overstepping the bounds.
 

At the event, artist Mr. Ruan Lirong shared his artistic journey. Beginning with his early years of study, he reflected on how he took root in traditional brush and ink while simultaneously seeking a personal visual language amid the shifting tides of the times. With ink softly diffusing and lines gracefully unfolding, the landscapes, figures, and birds-and-flowers in Ruan Lirong’s work all exude a sense of composure, ease, and an inner tension. This “spontaneity” is not recklessness but rather a poised freedom born of deep reflection—qualities that resonate deeply with the rationality and humanistic concern at the heart of the legal spirit.

Legal space emphasizes rules and order, while ink painting seeks artistic conception and freedom. Though they appear distinct, both ultimately point to an inner sense of balance and measured restraint. By presenting these works at Taihe Law Firm, we have created a compelling echo—a harmonious interplay of spontaneity within the bounds of propriety.

Painting Presentation Ceremony

Nguyen Ly Vinh presented a painting to the He Art Museum. Li Yuanyang, Director of the Taihe Management Committee, took to the stage to accept the gift and, on behalf of the He Art Museum, awarded Nguyen Ly Vinh a certificate of acquisition.

Guest Resonance and Exhibition Invitations

The guests highly praised the exhibition’s artistic caliber and its cross-disciplinary approach. Ruan Lirong’s work seamlessly integrates scholarly theory with hands-on research, with his creative process mirroring his way of life and state of mind. His oeuvre encompasses landscapes, figures, and birds-and-flowers, each executed with masterful skill; his handling of water is particularly commendable, and his compositions brim with a distinctly modern aesthetic. The free‑hand, expressive style he employs unfolds organically, almost spontaneously. This exhibition not only unveils Ruan Lirong’s new artistic horizons—born of a spirit unbound by preconceived constraints—but also, through the platform of He Art Museum, successfully fosters a dialogue between law and art.

With simple, understated brushwork and ink, the artist sketches a wealth of meaning, inviting viewers to pause and find a moment of stillness and resonance. Beyond the hustle and the constraints of convention, art remains a sanctuary where we can lay down our innermost selves.
 

“As You Wish—Ruan Lirong: He Art Museum Spring 2026 Exhibition” warmly invites you to slow down, to step into the He Art Museum—a space where law and art converge—and, through a dialogue between ink and space, and between art and law, to rediscover your own sense of composure and poetic grace.  

In the future, the He Art Museum will continue to present high‑quality art exhibitions, forging a bridge for cross‑disciplinary dialogue between law and the humanities. This marks not only an important step in the cultural development of Tai Law Firm, but also an innovative endeavor to empower artistic expression through the legal realm. The He Art Museum aspires to join hands with friends from all sectors to strike a balance between order and freedom, and to embrace a sense of serene ease.

Artist Biography

Ruan Lirong, also known by the pseudonyms “Jifu” and “Dunweng,” was born in Xinghua, Jiangsu Province, in 1961. He is currently a member of the China Artists Association, a first‑class artist, a professor and master’s supervisor at the School of Arts of Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, vice president of the Guofeng Calligraphy and Painting Institute of the Jiangsu Provincial League of Democratic Parties, supervisor and deputy director of the Art Committee of the Jiangsu Association for Sino‑Foreign Social and Cultural Exchange, an executive director of the Overseas Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Institute of the Jiangsu Federation of Overseas Chinese, an adjunct painter at the Jiangsu National Painting Institute, an expert in the fine arts field on the Third National Steering Committee for Graduate Education in Arts under the Ministry of Education, and a researcher at the Chinese Painting Creation Research Institute of the Art Development Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

·March 2025, Xinghua City Museum: “A Journey to the Hometowns of Contemporary Masters” – Ruan Lirong Chinese Painting Exhibition

·December 2017, Nanjing Qinglan Art Museum: “The Way Follows Nature” — Exhibition of Ink-Wash Sketches by Ruan Lirong

·May 2014, Duoyunxuan Art Museum, Shanghai: “Listening to the Language of Ink” — Ruan Lirong’s Ink-Wash Painting Exhibition

·December 2012, Nanjing Art+ Museum: Ruan Lirong Ink Painting Exhibition

·November 2011, Library of Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology: Ink Painting Exhibition by Ruan Lirong