In 2019, Ding Yi participated in a historic exhibition at the Shanghai Power Station of Art.
"The Challenging Souls" presented a unique exhibition that, from the avant-garde artists Yves Klein, Lee Ufan and Ding Yi, structured an essay in which they problematized the socio-cultural ingredients that allowed the emergence of the artistic avant-garde in both latitudes.
Coming from distant cultural strata (East and West) this exhibition developed an interesting dialogue around the relentless pursuit of art through experimentation, innovation and exploration. Although the practices of these world aesthetic referents are heterogeneous, they have in common individually and collectively, that they have invented new artistic languages, media and art forms in defiance of existing conventions and trends.