Common Groundwork was an exchange between Guyu Action artists based in Xi’an, including other national Chinese artists and Bbeyond in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The purpose of the exchange was to highlight the Common Groundwork existing between artists from different cultures with the potential to open future dialogues and exchanges. 

This common poetic and philosophic groundwork extends from ancient Taoists and Druidic philosophy, where knowledge and wisdom seem to transcend space and time, being and becoming more pertinent for today’s contemporary society. This common thread of ancient knowledge merges; wisdom with love and respect for all things, with creativity, reflects a model for living and making art, and is even more important in today’s world, addressing the role of art and artists in society. Performance artists cognisant of living a lived philosophy have the potential to become catalysts for change, something that begins with ourselves. A saying attributed to Gandhi; ‘Be the change you want to see in the world.’ is conducive for noble spirits and a good place to start..