One of the paintings records a black young man's backflip through an arched door and his movements in the air form a ring, evoking the shape of the Sankofa bird's neck.

The bird image of Sankofa is reflected in the other piece. A flock of guineafowl, a type of bird endemic to Africa, fly across a room where a suited man leans against a desk with two mirrors respectively reflecting his face and the back of his head.

"In Chinese, there are also many ancient adages teaching people to absorb wisdom from history, which is similar to the meaning of Sankofa," said Minghao, a visitor to the exhibit.