A Happy Beginning

Spotlighting a new generation of Asian artists who are currently emerging on the New York art scene, “A Happy Beginning,” organized by ArtAsiaPacific New York Desk Editor Paul Laster, presents a curated selection of painting, sculpture, drawing, photography and performance art by Yuxuan An, Leyla Runzi Cui, Zhi Ding, Danmo Fu, Lanyi Gao, Shuling Guo, Jingyao Huang, Katinka Huang, Peishan Huang, Timon Yc I, Nianxin Li, Yanjun Li, Tiantian Ma, Ellie Kayu Ng, Jingqi Wang Steinhiser, Yongqi Tang, Li Wang, Ming Wang, Suyi Xu, Youyi Echo Yan, Shuai Yang, Tianshu Zhang and Ji Zou.

Presented at LATITUDE Gallery, in the heart of New York’s lively Chinatown, the engaging show features a talented group of young artists who have recently completed MFA and BFA degrees or are still studying at prominent American art colleges, ranging from the School of Visual Arts  and Columbia University School of The Arts in New York to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, where they were trained by distinguished contemporary artists.

Inspired by styles and ideas from a diversity of Asian cultures and histories, as well as by the robust Asian contemporary art scene, this new generation of artists bring an awareness of the international art world that’s colored by the Internet, and particularly by the ever-evolving forms of art that flow through the never-ending stories and feeds on Instagram and other social media platforms.

Works in the show mine memories and dreams, explore spiritualism and architectural space, investigate issues of identity and the roles they play in society and draw attention to visual spectacles and sensations of light. Working both figuratively and abstractly or blurring the boundaries between the two artistic approaches, these artists are creating compelling works, which are convincingly adding to the ever-changing contemporary art dialogue.

For “A Happy Beginning,” Laster was introduced to a new generation of Asian artists living and working in the United States by Shihui Zhou, owner and director of LATITUDE Gallery; Fou Gallery in Brooklyn; Stilllife, a next-Gen art community focused on emerging artists; and Sean Zhang, a recent Visual Arts Administration grad from New York University and the son of celebrated Chinese contemporary artist Zhang Huan.

“A Happy Beginning” is the second show of a two-part exhibition. The first installment, “Genesis: A New Generation of Chinese Artists,” features some of the same emerging artists and is on view July 21 – August 27, 2023 at Chambers Fine Art’s ArtFarm in Salt Point, New York.

Paul Laster is a writer, editor, curator, advisor, artist, and lecturer. New York Desk Editor for ArtAsiaPacific, Laster is also a Contributing Editor at Raw Vision and Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art and a contributing writer for Galerie, Art & Object, Ocula, Artsy, Sculpture, Time Out New York, Conceptual Fine Arts, and Two Coats of Paint. Formerly the Founding Editor of Artkrush, he began The Daily Beast’s art section and was Art Editor at Russell Simmons’ OneWorld Magazine. Laster has also been the Curatorial Advisor for Intersect Art & Design and an Adjunct Curator at P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, now MoMA PS1.

Please contact Shihui Zhou < shihuizhou@latitudegallery.nyc> or +1 312-508-2615 for media inquiries and more information.