The relationship between men and women is an enduring topic for artists in the creation of fantasy and the exploration of irony. A collective exhibition held by Paris-Beijing Photo Gallery follows this trend – sophisticated interactions between modern Chinese men and women are unveiled through a number of sexually explicit pictures.

Titled "Between the Sexes", the exhibition is composed of six sets of photos: Soap Opera, Solution Scheme, Another Episode II, Dream-like Love, I'm so Bored and Opposite, in which seductive women are posed with a herd of lustful men, young and old, handsome and unattractive.

Shot by a national group representing both emerging and prominent photographers, including Yan Zhuangmei, Liu Lijie and Li Wei, the photos reflect the innermost feeling of the Chinese, living in a period when modernity encounters tradition, and sexual freedom collides with morality and equality. Combining expressions of confusion, hurt, and mockery, the female models dominate an exhibition in which urban women's innocence, attractiveness and loneliness are portrayed.

According to the gallery's press release, whether set up by a male or a female photographer, the woman is always the main protagonist. The camera follows her as the narrative develops, generating tension and humor through an imbalance in the interplay of sexual identity.

Tian Ji, organizer of the exhibition, explained to China.org.cn: "The female protagonist is likely to be seen as the central figure in a relationship. The female photographers express their inner feelings in relation to men, either in Yan Zhuangmei's display of sexual freedom or Liu Lijie's build-up of fear and anxiety. Fascination with the opposite sex is probably the link between the male photographers, whereas the eyes of the women mirror the beauty or fatality of love and passion."

Imperceptible emotions and hidden stories surface before the camera lens, through which intriguing relationships are portrayed in bold and sometimes exaggerated ways. Coincidentally clad in similar white sleeveless suit dresses, the working women in Another Episode II by Liu and Dream-like Love by Li reveal their loathing of the men who either challenge or love them, though with different reactions. The protagonist in Liu's works, easily caught by a pair of scarlet silk stockings, cannot conceal her chill and helplessness when being relentlessly followed, cornered and suppressed by a group of seemingly powerful men. Meanwhile Li portrays an apparently insatiable lover who scorns every move of her crazy pursuer, whose head alone appears in the photos.

"Love is crazy, it is able to drive me to do the impossible," said Li, who completed the photo series without knowing exactly what a man feels when falling in love with a demanding woman, for he says such a thing has never occurred in his life. There is no doubt that it is the artists who directed the provoking scenarios with the camera, but it is hard to tell who manipulated the stories behind the scenes. Artist Yan explains the photographer's role as saying: "Neither am I a god nor a prominent politician, the judgment of an ordinary person like me is of no importance to the relationship between the sexes. All I want to do is to bear silent witness to a group of men and women showing me who they are and how they interact." A young woman cloaked under a red coat pops her head out from a bedroom closet opened by a half-dressed young man. Beside them, a plain girl with a wedding ring visible on her finger carefully stitches a plaid shirt. Secrets surface before the lens wielded by Yan Zhuangmei, a female photographer who unveils the contradictions and the bravado of the young in her Soap Opera series. [China.org.cn] Yet the stories captured by this female photographer contrast sharply with her modesty. In her collective photos, named Soap Opera, barely-clothed young models pose against brightly colored backdrops, fancying, tricking or peeking at the opposite sex. Framed with them are colorful ballooned condoms, lipstick dotted cars, forested land and light pink closets – symbolizing love and betrayal, desire and boredom, as well as rebellion and confusion. "With their hormones peaking, youngsters hold a vigorous yet destructive power that is substantially malleable. They occupy the stage at a time when innovation is sprouting under the haunting influence of tradition, a conflict that infuses their roles with uncertainties," said Yan, explaining that her works contain no element of eroticism. "Youth possesses both bravery and fragility. Young people remain innocent of their state whilst young, only to experience understanding and regret as youthfulness slips into maturity and old age." The collective exhibition, running until May 30, is being held at the 798 Art District, a well-known modern art hub in Beijing, located at Dashanzi, No.4 Jiuxianqiao Rd, Chaoyang District. A man pesters a woman sitting beside him in a blue car parked in rural grassland. With a camera clutched in hand, Liu Lijie, a female photographer, captures the stories of adult women, vexed and annoyed by the intrusion of hostile men. [China.org.cn]