CULMINATION/catalogue one at mkg

Exhibition: May 8 – June 28, 2008
Reception: Thursday, May 8, 6–9 PM

March 27, 2008—This May, Morono Kiang Gallery celebrates its first anniversary. To commemorate this special occasion, MKG proudly presents CULMINATION/catalogue one at mkg, a group exhibition of paintings, works on paper, photography, installation, and cutting-edge video by some of the artists who have put MKG on the City’s increasingly global cultural map. The Opening Reception for CULMINATION will be held on Thursday, May 8, 2008 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM, in conjunction with the Downtown Art Walk.

CULMINATION will present work by some of the most important Chinese artists of our time, providing a unique glimpse into the myriad issues and complex debates that will define China’s place in the world in the early 21st century. To this end, this exhibit will showcase a wide spectrum of mediums and styles, from oils by Xu Ruotao and contemporary ink and brush paintings by Li Jin and Liu Qinghe, to photography by Chen Wei and video by Chen Chieh-jen. Featured artists also included are Cheng Ran, Dong Jun, Hong Hao, Jiang Zhi, Lin Yilin, Liu Ding, Wang Jian Wei, Wang Wei, Xie Xiaoze, Xu Zhen, Yang Zhenzhong, and Zhao Liang.

As the modern-day descendants of thousands of years of cultural tradition and oppression, many Chinese artists are breaking with the past in ways that enable them to establish new forums for their own creative expression as well as intercultural dialogue and exchange. In the wake of rapid watershed changes and new attendant opportunities, contemporary Chinese artists have forged connections with the international art world in meaningful and unexpected ways. These artists are starting with a veritable blank slate of a hyper-conflated contemporaneity, breaking rules that they didn’t know existed and setting out for new and uncharted territory.

With passion and prescience, Karon Morono Kiang and Eliot Kiang established MKG to exhibit work by emerging and established artists who are fueling the skyrocketing ascendancy of contemporary Chinese art around the globe. Their timely presence in the Historic Core of downtown Los Angeles—a city undergoing metamorphosis as a center of innovative art and culture—coincides with a focal shift in critical attention on the visual arts happening on the West Coast. The gallery aims to play a pivotal role in the promotion of contemporary Chinese art, and to become an integral part of the vibrant arts and culture community in Downtown Los Angeles through visionary exhibits and engaging programs.