LONDON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Salford, the city straddling Manchester, is celebrated as the home of the English painter L S Lowry.
Lowry captured mid-20th century scenes of the landscape of the industrial north, featuring figures that resembled "matchstick people".
Now the city's university has set its sights on an ambitious program to become the home for a major collection of works by contemporary artists from China.
Their ambition was given a kick-start Wednesday at the official opening of a new exhibition which brings together for the first time works by a number of Chinese artists, including the celebrated Cao Fei.
The exhibition, "What's In Store", was organized to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the University of Salford.
As well as work by Cao, the new exhibition includes work by Aaajiao, Han Feng, Li Binyuan, Chou Yu-Chen and Annie Wan.
Lindsay Taylor, art curator at the University of Salford, said the aim was to gather a collection of contemporary art from artists in China.
Taylor told Xinhua: "Our interest in Chinese Contemporary Art stems from our relationship with the Center for Chinese Contemporary Art in Manchester (CFCCA). We are developing a collection that, amongst other things will provide a legacy of CCCAM's programming."
The new show also features Li Binyuan's Deathless Love, a digital video of a site specific performance at CFCCA in 2015 and a painting by Chou Yu-Cheng.
Taylor stated: "We have a growing collection of works by Chinese artists, but as yet we don't have a dedicated gallery. We are working with Salford Museum and Gallery and that is where 'What's In Store' is taking place. It has enabled us to include a selection of our Chinese art, bringing it together for the first time."
"Greater Manchester is home to a third of all Chinese students studying in Britain, so Salford is a good location for this collection," she added.
"At the new exhibition we are piloting a project using digital technology that could eventually lead to some kind of virtual art gallery for our collection.
What's In Store is at Salford Museum and Art Gallery and runs until Nov. 19.
