Chinese Puzzles:

Games for the Hands and Mind

Traditional Chinese Puzzles from the Yi Zhi Tang Collection

中國傳統益智遊戲

“This unique and exciting exhibition will bring much enjoyment to viewers of all ages!”
- Terese Tse Bartholomew, Curator Emeritus, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco Read More »

We are happy to report that installation artist Beili Liu’s “Lure惑” exhibit, on display at the Chinese Culture Center Gallery, has met with remarkable success. The buzz surrounding the exhibit began even before it went on display, but the opening reception of May 9th, boasting several hundred visitors, gave the exhibit the exposure it needed to generate public attention. Attendees at the event included prominent members of the local Chinese American and art communities, members of the press, and, of course, a great deal of San Francisco’s art lovers. The appeal of “Lure惑”, however, isn’t limited to denizens of the city. People came all the way from Silicon Valley to attend the reception, and more came (and continue to come) after the opening, sometimes literally by the bus load, to visit the exhibit which has captured imaginations across the bay area. Read More »

By Janos Gereben
Published May 19, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO - The ancient Chinese legend of the Red Thread is about the invisible string connecting lovers “born for each other.”

As time passes, they come closer, and eventually find each other, regardless of the physical distance or social and cultural differences between them initially. (In Western culture, Plato has a similar paradigm of the “two halves” of a couple, fitting together, making a whole.)

A remarkably original art installation by Beili Liu, now open at the San Francisco Chinese Culture Center, illustrates and celebrates the fable. Read More »

SF Camerawork presents:
Ruins to Renewal: Works by RongRong & inri
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 5th, 2008; 5pm - 8pm
Admission: Free

SF Camerawork
657 Mission Street (2nd Floor)
San Francisco, CA 94105 Read More »

ArtSlant Review

LURE: Installation Art by Beili Liu

Lure: Chinese-American Contemporary Artist Beili Liu Explores the Ties that Bind Lovers
Chinese Culture Center
750 Kearny Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94108
May 9, 2008 - July 5, 2008

Lure is the inaugural exhibit in the Chinese Cultural Center’s new Xin Rui (fresh, sharp) series, showcasing contemporary Chinese-American artists. Beili Liu, who teaches in Michigan, has a national reputation —she recently created an installation for the Djerassi Foundation in Woodside, for example— and her elegant, beautiful work often treats Chinese-American biculturalism, drawing on tradition, but in a contemporary and cosmopolitan manner. Lure, the large installation that dominates the gallery, is a swath of red flowerlike discs suspended mid-air, quivering with the faintest breeze; the viewer stands as if in a field of swaying poppies, or by a pond of undulating lily pads. Each of the thousands of flowers is a spiral of red thread coiled around a needle and hung from the ceiling; the loose ends of each flower coil dangle onto the floor in whorls and loops, but each is connected with another flower, illustrating the Yuan fen belief that lovers are connected from birth by the old man under the moon, Yue Lao, by an invisible red thread and that they will inevitably be united, regardless of obstacles. Read More »

The Chinese Culture Center is pleased to present a new art exhibition series, Xin Rui (pronounced as “shin ray”). The title of the series is significant, ‘xin’ meaning ‘new’ and “rui’ meaning ‘sharp’, as it embodies both the type of art and artists that the series aims to feature.
Xin Rui highlights the work of exceptional Chinese and Chinese American artists in the U.S., whose work is unrecognized, or under recognized, in the U.S. In keeping with the themes of ‘new’ and ‘sharp’, the series will focus on the artists’ most recent works. Artworks will all have been created within the past year and half (18 months) before their exhibition at the Chinese Culture Center Gallery, with a special emphasis placed on debut pieces. Read More »

Lure/惑 by Beili Liu
劉北立大型裝置藝術展: 惑
Official Selection of the San Francisco International Arts Festival
舊金山國際藝術節指定展覽
11th Annual United States of Asian America Festival
11屆亞美藝術節指定展覽

Runs May 9 – July 5th, 2008
Chinese Culture Center Gallery
750 Kearny Street, Third Floor (inside the Hilton Hotel).
Gallery Hours Tue.-Sat, 10-4
Admission: Free

“Absolutely stunning…A must see!” - Flo Oy Wong
“Poetic…” - Jay Xu, Director of Asian Art Museum
“Don’t Miss!” - SF Chronicle/96 Hours
“Lure” is emotional, meticulous, and, yes, beautiful.” - SF Weekly
“Legend Made Visible” - SF Examiner

Read More »

Event/活動: American Dream in China: Oil Painting of Kaiping Watch Tower & Village by Jinyu Chen + Feng Shui Seminar/美國夢在中國：陳錦裕《開平碉樓與村落》油畫展+移民建築及風水論壇

Opening Reception/展覽開幕：4/5/2008, 11:00AM

Seminar論壇:Feng Shui風水， Time/時間：4/19/2008 2：00pm-5:00pm

Exhibit Date/展覽日期: 4/5-4/26, 2008

Location/地點: Chinese Culture Center Gallery
750 Kearny St, 3rd Fl. San Francisco, CA 94108
舊金山中華文化中心畫廊 舊金山乾尼街750號 三樓 Read More »

3/17/08-6/13/08：Chinese Culture Center Online Gallery (www.cccgallery.org) is proud to present the first exhibition. Selected from the online gallery and curated by Artsource Consulting, Manli Chao (San Jose, CA), Yumei Hou (San Francisco, CA), Feng Jin (Alameda, CA), Arthur Mu-Sen Kao (San Jose, CA), Yuan Li (Walnut Creek, CA), Sue Tom (San Francisco, CA), Leland Wong (San Francisco, CA) and Yueying Zhong (Marin County, CA)’s works are on display at the Mills Building, located on 220 Montgomery Street. For more information, please contact Artsource Consulting at 415-399-0333 x 15

The Chinese Culture Center Online Gallery offers a window to view artworks created by Chinese artists to gain exposure for their artworks. Regardless the location, one can easily access the galley of Chinese art, preview exhibitions, artists portfolios, projects, talks and seminars.

中華文化中心電子畫廊為華裔藝術家提供了一個窗口，使其作品得到更多的關注。無論你身在何方，都可以通過網上畫廊，欣賞中華藝術，瀏覽展覽，藝術家作品，論壇以及講座。 Read More »

Present Tense - (noun) the verb tense expressing action in the present time.

Present Tense is also the title chosen to represent the Chinese Culture Center’s biennial exhibition program, the next installation of which goes on display May of 2009. True to its definition, Present Tense is designed to highlight work relevant to, and reflective of, contemporary youth culture in Chinese and Chinese American communities. The 2009 exhibition, Uproar in Heaven, aims to capture the energy of youth and the changes, for better or for worse, that such energy inevitably brings about. Uproar in Heaven will be comprised of new debut pieces, mostly (though not necessarily entirely) from young artists.

2009 will be a particularly significant year for Present Tense. The exhibit goes on display a few days after the 90th anniversary of the May 4th student led revolts in China, which dramatically altered China’s political and intellectual landscape. Furthermore, 2009 comes 40 years after reconstruction began in the wake of the cultural revolution (1969), 30 years after the beginning of China’s contemporary art scene (with the first “Stars” exhibition), and 20 years after the Tiananmen Square incident (1989), all events in which China’s youth had a major impact. Artists are encouraged to submit work which responds to these events, and which speaks to the dynamic roles young people have played in China’s history.

Bottom line, Present Tense Biennial 2009: Uproar in Heaven strives to deliver energetic, rebellious, even seditious art exploring the feeling of being young, a feeling connecting the youth of 2009 with those active in 1919, 1969, 1979 and 1989.

FAQ

Q. What exactly is the difference between Present Tense and Uproar in Heaven?
A: Present Tense is the exhibition series (we hold a Present Tense exhibition every two years). Uproar in Heaven is the title for the particular Present Tense exhibition being held in 2009.

Q: Do I have to be a Chinese or Chinese American artist to participate?
A: No, but your work must reflect contemporary youth culture in Chinese and/or Chinese American communities.

Q: Do I have to be a certain age to submit my work?
A: No, but as the focus of this exhibition is youth, young artists are especially encouraged to apply. Even so, older artists whose work exudes youthful dynamism will still gladly be considered.

Q: Does my work have to respond to all the dates and events you mentioned?
A: Not at all, but it does need to reflect the spirit of these events, i.e. change and the rebellious energy of youth. We would still love, however, to get some submissions which do respond to these events.

Q: How many works should I submit?
A: At least 10, no more than 20.

Q: What kinds of mediums do you accept?
A: Anything that can possibly be displayed in a gallery: photography, painting, sculpture, installation, video, sound art, graphic design, and any new or experimental genres.

Q: What exactly do you mean by “new debut pieces”?
A: To be considered “new”, your work must have been created after January 1st of 2007. By debut, we simply mean the work you submit must not have already been physically publicly displayed.

Q: How do I submit my art for consideration?
A: There are two ways:

1. Visit our online gallery at http://www.cccgallery.org, and create an artist profile if you do not already have one. Make sure to completely fill out your profile, as this will serve as your exhibition application. Upload your images, then join our Uproar in Heaven group which you can find under “Groups & Calls”, or at http://www.cccgallery.org/group/uproarinheavensubmissions. Simply joining the group will let us know you would like to be considered.

2. If you would prefer not to have your work displayed on our online gallery, you can send us an e-mail at pt2009@c-c-c.org. You may not send more than 10 images, and images should not be larger than 500k. Please send us your contact information, artist bio, resume, and your completed exhibition submission form.

Q: What is the deadline?
A: February 1st, 2009.

If you have any further questions, please e-mail pt2009@c-c-c.org