LIU XIAODONG
On 11 September 2010 the Mary Boone Gallery will open at its Chelsea location Yan’ Guan Town, an exhibition of new paintings by LIU XIAODONG.
Considered to be the leading “New Generation” figurative painter in China, Liu studied at the prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, where he now teaches. This will be his second New York exhibition.
In the summer of 2009, Liu Xiaodong traveled to Yan’ Guan County in Gansu Province, China. For centuries an area known for horse trading, the previous year Liu had spent time there painting horses and became fascinated by the region’s crossroads of cultures. On this return trip he sought to depict the peaceful co-existence of Muslims and Christians – both non-indigenous cultures and foreign to Liu -- through portraits of two families that he had met.
Working in situ at the small café owned by the Muslim family (he was not permitted inside their mosque) and the Christian family’s simple brick church, for each family Liu created a large group portrait and a series of individual portrait studies.
The exhibition, at 541 West 24 Street, is on view through 23 October 2010. A fullyillustrated catalogue including an essay by Jeff Kelley, with an additional essay and diary of the project by Liu Xiaodong, will be available at the Gallery. Please contact Ron Warren at the Gallery for further information, or visit our website www.maryboonegallery.com.
