In Our Hands: Film Screening and Conversation

Whether carefully reinforcing the cracks in an ancient handscroll or remounting the portrait of an imperial ancestor, traditional Chinese painting restorers have cared for Chinese artworks in United States museums for over 30 years. Through in-depth interviews and behind the scenes studio footage, In Our Hands captures the generational, cultural, and educational shift taking place in the field of Chinese painting conservation, as these dedicated artisans focus on passing along their knowledge and skills to the next generation of conservators.  

Produced by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art under the direction of Eros Zhao for Templux Films, this unprecedented documentary reveals the personal stories of nine conservators dedicated to preserving their traditional craft while advancing the field — an undertaking vital to the future of Chinese cultural heritage in the West. 

About the Film

In Our Hands: Chinese Painting Conservators in US Museums, Dir. Eros Zhao, United States, 2022, 50 min., English and Mandarin with Chinese and English subtitles.

About the Speaker

Director Dr. Eros Zhao has created documentaries for major institutions around the world, including the Smithsonian Institution, Steinway and Sons Pianos, the Metropolitan Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Denver Art Museum. Dr. Zhao’s work has received awards from numerous international film festivals; his most recent project, The Action Man, was nominated for Best Documentary Short at the Austin Film Festival. His concert productions include Bending Space / Crossing Time at Zipper Hall in Los Angeles; Film Music in Hollywood at the Zhong Shan Hall in Taipei;, and an exploration of the keyboard music of J.S. Bach at the Banlam Grand Theater in Xiamen. Dr. Zhao received a Ph.D. in Art Administration at Taiwan Shih Chien University, an M.A. in Art History from UCLA, his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and an B.A. in Chinese Painting from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.