Chinese contemporary art is a broad term - much like Western contemporary art. The full spectrum goes far beyond the politically or socially charged, often highly figurative works that first spring to mind. 

Within the context of their time and culture, the Chinese emerging artists whose exceptional works are featured here explore their identity and the human condition by weaving the traditional and the contemporary - conceptually, aesthetically, technically, emotionally - with a deep knowledge of both East and West whose rules they simultaneously respect, break, fuse, and redefine. The results are diverse and powerful.

Chen Li, Wu Jun, Chen Yongle, Gao Xiang, Wang Yuhui, and Xiong Huiming all hail from South China's Yunnan Province. During the Cultural Revolution, Chairman Mao exiled many brilliant representatives of the Chinese intelligentsia to this remote province, enriching its already multicultural fabric. Bordering Laos and Burma, Yunnan is a region of outstanding natural beauty and diverse cultural influences, and is the perfect fertile ground for artistic expression and introspective exploration.