First Street Gallery is pleased to present the first New York exhibition of paintings by twelve Chinese artists: Kong Fantao, Liu Jun, Liu Shijian, Liu Xiaolin, Shi Haibo, Si Jilin, Si Wentao, Wang Hongzheng, Wang Guiyong, Yao Yong, Yu Lai, Zhou Zhitao.

The artists received academic training at institutions in Beijing, where they now live and work. They have in common a special affinity for Beijing and have created new images that express their responses to the changes around them. There is nationalistic pride in the acceptance of Beijing’s application to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games and the rapid speed in which the city has been transformed to accommodate and impress an international audience.  However, there is also nostalgia for the loss of historical legacies as the destruction of hutongs and traditional architecture makes room for modern Beijing. The resulting images reveal both excitement for the new Beijing and anxiety at the rapid changes underway. There is also concern for what will happen after the Olympic games are over.

A bilingual catalogue is available with introduction by guest curator, Doretta Miller, Professor of Art, Skidmore College; preface by Yao Yong, Director of Graduate Painting Program, China Art Academy; and translation by Lingyi Hu, Visiting Professor, Skidmore College.

This exhibition made possible through grants from Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Puffin Foundation Ltd., with additional support from Skidmore College.

Click on images for larger view