Chambers Fine Art is named after Wang Tiande, Wu Jian'an, Shengzhong who converted the the distinguished British architect, Xiuzhen, Zhan Wang, Zhang gallery space into a vividly colore( Sir William Chambers who, in Huan, and other artists. who are 'temple' that evoked another addition to his architectural active in and abroad today. aspect of life in China than the practice, was a leading exponent·~ / Born in Wuhan, China in 1963, contemporary urban culture of Chinese principles in garden Christophe W. Mao came to the explored by so many younger design in the late eighteenth United States in 1986. After artists. Other solo exhibitions in century. Inspired by the example graduating from Drexel University the last eight years have been of Chambers, Christophe W. Mao, in 1993, he worked for several devoted to the work of Hong Hao founder and director of the gallery years as a financial analyst before Wang Tiande, Wang Jianwei, since 2000, has organized a deciding that his interests lay Qiu Shihua, Rong Rong and inri, stimulating series of exhibitions elsewhere. In 2000, he opened Hong Lei and Qiu Zhijie. that have introduced the work of Chambers Fine Art in the Chelsea The following gallery program ha~ some of artists such as Ai Weiwei, district of New York, focusing on devoted to the work of establishe( Cai Guo-Qiang, Chi Peng, Geng classical Chinese furniture and and young artists and thematic Jianyi, Guo Hongwei, Hong Hao, contemporary . exhibitions organized by recog• Hong Lei, Lu Shengzhong, Since 2003, however, recognizing nized scholars in the field such as Qiu Shihua, Qiu Zhijie, ShiJinsong that the contemporary side of his Feng Boyi, Paul Laster, Yasufumi Song Dong, WangJianwei, activities demanded his full Nakamori, Gu Zhenqing, Yang attention, the gallery has concen• Shin-Yi, Pi Li, Zheng Shengtian, trated on contemporary Chinese Michael Zhang, Zhang Li, etc. art. In 2005 Mr. Mao was one of the In 2006, Christophe W. Mao sponsors of the first ever Chinese commissioned HHF Architects + Pavilion at the Ai Weiwei to design a storage curated by Cai Guo Qiang. facility on his property in upstate The first exhibition in the New New York. The building, named York gallery, "First Encounter," Artfarm, which originated in was devoted to the work of the discussions between Mao and outstanding paper-cut artist Lu Ai Weiwei and was completed in

72 March· April 2009 Above: View of New York gallery; Right: Exterior and interior view of Artfarm. Opposite: Exterior and interior view of gallery; Bottom: Exterior view of -~. Beijing and New York gallery. ~~.II

~

June 2008, is conceived by HHF The Greatest Chamber for Architects as "An equal member of a whole group of sculptures which Chinese Contemporary Art are spread out in the landscape." Built on sloping land, three inter• organized by Wu Hung. He has nied by catalogs frequently connected stmctures house storage investigated the concept of a 'net' designed by the artists themselves. space, offices and exhibition which transcends any given time The catalog of Rong Rong's space. There is a marked contrast of space, history and region, "East Village," (2003) the first between the geometric severity of specificity and abstraction. extensive survey of the short-lived the steel exterior and the exposed Included in the exhibition are but influential artist's community surface of the heavy insulation that works by Ai Weiwei, Hong Hao, that included Zhang Huan and is such an unexpected feature of He Yunchang, Lu Sheng zhong, Ma Liuming, was accompanied the interior. The effectiveness of Hong Lei, Qiu Zhujie, Rong Rong with the publication of a the building results from a series of & inri, ShiJinsong, S~>ngDong, limited-edition portfolio of original contrasts, between the mstic WangJianwei, Wang Tiande, photographs housed in an iron setting and the minimal form as Wu Jian'an, Yin Xiuzhen, box with text by Wu Hung. well as between the rigid, Yu Hong, Zhan Wang, Zhang Peili, Also the publication of "New light-reflecting exterior and the and Zheng Guogu. Photo- Ten Years," (2007) a reprint softly draped interior. Following this the exhibition of the seminal underground Chambers Fine Art Beijing was "Tan Dun: Organic Music" present• magazine published from 1996 to opened in September 2007 and ed a new series of visual works 1998 by Rong Rong and Liu Zheng its building was designed by derived from the internationally was noteworthy. Ai Weiwei located in the celebrated composer's Organic To create a broader international Caochangdi district which is Music series while later in the appreciation of contemporary rapidly becoming one of the major season there were solo exhibitions Chinese art, Chambers Fine Art will centers of contemporary art in devoted to Qiu Zhijie, Hong Lei, continue their work both in New Beijing. The first exhibition in the Wu Jian'an amongst others. York and Beijing with the new space, "Net: Reimagining Many of the exhibitions at established artists as well as with Space, Time and Culture" was Chambers Fine Art are accompa- the emerging talents from China.

art in ASIA ;