I was invited along with several other U.S. and Canadian artists to show my work in two "Looking East and West" exhibitions in China, the first in Beijing. Bench and I have wanted to visit China, and this was a great opportunity to have my art take us there.
I decided to paint on canvas that could be rolled up and carried on the plane.
Once we arrived to Beijing, we went immediately to a shop to have the pieces stretched on frames.
We met several of the other artists in the shows, and began a week-long tour of Songzhuang, where we were told there are up to 10,000 artists working. Each day we were introduced to artists and curators, seeing their studios and galleries. People were welcoming, and I love their custom of sitting and serving tea.
The exhibition took place April 8th, 2019 at COFCO Square, a beautiful space not too far from Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City and . We helped hang the work!
We had a couple of days to see some major sights in and around Beijing: Markets, The Temple of Heaven, Tianamen Square, Jingshan Park, the Great Wall, and Summer Palace.
The day of the exhibition was filled with people and presentations. I was interviewed in some coverage from meilantianxia.com, and it was all pretty amazing!
We had a wonderful experience!