Zhao Gang: Today Art Museum, Beijing

"Zhao Gang (b. Beijing 1961; lives and works in New York) is among the most interesting Chinese artists of his generation. He has worked in painting since the early 1980s; in 1989, he was the youngest member of the famous artists' association The Stars, which successfully defied the Chinese authorities' censorship of art. He later studied art in Europe and the United States, where he now lives. As one of very few representatives of his generation, he is a native speaker of Chinese as well as a near-native speaker of English, and understands both the East and the West. In his painting, too, he seeks to unite these two influences. Zhao Gang's pictures reflect on political and social issues, on motifs from Chinese history and contemporary American life. The book presents early works from the 1980s and paintings since 2008. An introductory essay by Philip Tinari and an interview with Zhao Gang offer insight into the painter's approach to his art."