The artists are among the pioneers who opened up the vast land of Xinjiang.

And the artworks they've created approach how the region has changed over the decades from various perspectives, says Chen Jing, the online exhibition's chief editor and also the deputy director of the institute of natural and cultural heritage research at Nanjing University.

Chen also has some of his traditional Chinese paintings and paper-cut works displayed at the exhibition.

The 82-year-old artist once spent around three decades living and working in Xinjiang.