An exhibition showcasing 400 Italian art works from the Renaissance period got underway on July 11 in Haixinsha Island, Guangzhou.

As a key part of the 2018 Shangtianhe Cultural Season, the exhibition integrates technology into arts, enabling Guangzhou residents to appreciate an immersive art visual feast through technologies including VR and holographic projection. The works include paintings, sculptures and architectures dating back to more than 500 years ago.

Visitors admire projections of the Mona Lisa, a half-length portrait painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. [Photo/gzdaily.dayoo.com]

The exhibition will run until Oct 17.

The combination of human culture and art treasures with modern technological innovations makes the inaccessible works of art come to life and allows people to feel the charm of art via novels and interesting scenes and interactions, said Wang Cong, the exhibition's art director.

In recent years, Tianhe district has held a variety of cultural activities such as the Shangtianhe Cultural Season, focusing on the high-end, fashionable and international projects to showcase Guangzhou's cultural strength. The events attracted the participation of nearly 1 million citizens. In May, Tianhe district became one of the 13 selected National Cultural Export Bases announced by the Ministry of Commerce, the only one in Guangdong province.

A visitor snaps a shot of the architecture projection at the exhibition. [Photo/gzdaily.dayoo.com]

In recent years, the driving effect of the innovation in Tianhe's cultural industry innovation has constantly been emerging. According to 2016 statistics, the cultural and creative industries in Tianhe district achieved an added value of 28.35 billion yuan ($4.18 billion), accounting for 7.46 percent of the district's GDP, up 11.1 percent year-on-year. It took up 29.7 percent of the city's total added value of the cultural and creative industries, ranking first in Guangzhou.

A visitor joins in an interactive activity at the exhibition hall. [Photo/gzdaily.dayoo.com]