For China’s contemporary artists, the parts are as important as the whole. Art is about forging intimate relationships with materials, sometimes spending decades exploring the properties of a single type of matter—paper, plastic, silk, hair. In an exhibition spanning two spaces—Wrightwood 659 and the Smart Museum of Art—48 monumental works from major artists are showcased. This show spans both the Wrightwood 659 and Smart Museum of Art exhibition halls.—E.C.