Beijing Stories

Beijing Stories features two views of the Chinese capital from the 1980’s through 2010, juxtaposing the distinctive sculpture of Liu Shiming, who resided in China’s capital city for most of his life, with the remarkable photographs of Lois Conner, who has visited virtually every year since 1984.  Pairing these artists offers a unique look at Beijing from two different yet equally powerful perspectives, each recording an evolving and resilient city and its population with an intensely personal vision.

Liu Shiming’s sculpture, created in Beijing from the 80's until his death in 2010, captures a changing way of life as Beijing expanded dramatically both in size and population.  Shiming witnessed the cultural and political shifts from the inside, as Beijing, the seat of government, consolidated its importance. As more and more citizens relocated to the city from farms and villages, Shiming witnessed their adaptation to the rhythm of urban life while maintaining their sense of community, culture and identity as the world around them shifted.

Lois Conner has been visiting and photographing throughout China since 1984 when she spent six months there on a Guggenheim fellowship. Falling in love with the landscape and the culture, Lois takes panoramic "portraits".  Working with a large format 7”x17” banquet camera, she shows us both sweeping views and intimate detail, capturing a more nuanced story emphasized by longer exposures and enhanced tonal qualities.  Through her lens we see a city in flux, a city that has grown exponentially yet has in many respects retained the flavor and culture of the old city.

RSVP

Exhibition Overview

Beijing Stories presents two distinct perspectives of Beijing during the transformative years from the 1980s to 2010, juxtaposing the sculptures of Liu Shiming and the panoramic photographs of Lois Conner.

Timeline: 1980s to 2010

Two Artistic Perspectives:

• Liu Shiming’s sculptures document the urbanization and socio-cultural shifts of Beijing.

• Lois Conner’s panoramic photography captures the city’s evolving yet enduring identity, preserving its cultural legacy and historical nuances.

Artist Profiles

Liu Shiming

Pioneering Chinese sculptor Liu Shiming (1926–2010) bridged traditional art and modernist influences. A graduate of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing, Liu was among the first generation of sculptors trained in both Chinese and Western techniques, gaining early acclaim for his work. Rejecting fame, he spent years in rural China, drawing inspiration from local customs and folklore which formed the basis of his humanist style. After returning to Beijing in 1975, he first worked at the National Museum of Chinese History before returning to CAFA as an instructor. Liu’s sculptures are now exhibited globally, most recently at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln; Rutgers University, NJ; and Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada.  His work will be included in Silent Makers, a two-venue exhibition at Arizona State University Art Museum, and he is the subject of a monograph by noted art writer Richard Vine which will be published in 2025. The Liu Shiming Sculpture Museum at CAFA in Beijing opened in 2019.

Lois Conner

New York-based photographer Lois Conner received a BA from Pratt Institute and an MFA from Yale University. She is the recipient of both a Guggenheim and Pollock Krasner Fellowships among other awards. Her work has been exhibited widely since 1973, most recently at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Robert Klein Gallery in Boston, Penumbra Foundation, Fordham University Art Gallery and the Shanghai Center of Photography.  Her work is in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Smithsonian Institution, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, Chicago Art Institute, The Getty Museum, The British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, among many others. In addition to numerous catalogues on her work, monographs including Beijing: Contemporary and Imperial (Princeton Architectural Press), Lotus, Trees and the Jiangnan Landscape; In the Shadow of the Wall: Photographs of China; Panoramas of the Far East (Smithsonian) and To Be, published in 2024.