On the Edge: Contemporary Chinese Artists Encounter the West March 8, 2005

This innovative exhibition features bold experimental works by 11 of China's leading avant-garde artists, including Huang Yong Ping, Qiu Zhijie, Yan Lei, Xu Bing, and Zhang Huan. The exhibition dissects the artists' position in the West-centric global art world and, as a corollary, China's political situation in regard to the West. Works presented in On the Edge range from bitingly humorous commentary on the artists' bumpy road to international stardom, to political pieces that have provoked minor diplomatic incidents, to thoughtful invitations to explore a common ground between East and West. The exhibition features more than 20 pieces in a variety of media (paintings, prints, photographs, videos, mixed media installations, sculptures, interactive CD-ROM).