About the Gen Gallery
Gen Gallery was founded in 2024 by entrepreneur, philanthropist, and collector Ms. Li Rouqiang.
Guided by the vision of bridging world cultures and arts, the gallery is dedicated to advancing Chinese contemporary art and fostering cultural exchange with the West, with the aim of establishing a new landmark for Chinese contemporary art.
Since its opening in 2024, Gen Gallery has presented exhibitions featuring works by numerous international artists. These include major figures such as Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Banksy, and MadC, as well as works by Alexander Kroll, Professor at ArtCenter College of Design in the United States, and oversea - educated Chinese artist Li Ruoheng.
As an international contemporary art gallery, Gen Gallery actively supports art education by regularly hosting art salons and symposiums. Through these initiatives, the gallery introduces international contemporary art to the Chinese public while providing a platform for foreign artists and institutions to engage with Beijing.
About the Founder, Ms. Rouqiang
Ms. Rouqiang is a Chinese entrepreneur, art philanthropist, and collector.
She is one of the founders of the Postal Savings Bank of China and a Beijing Model Worker.
Ms. Rouqiang's passion for art stems from her pursuit of beauty and freedom. Throughout her career, she has intentionally collected contemporary Chinese oil paintings as well as manuscripts by international masters. Today, she has established a systematic collection.
Ms. Rouqiang has consistently organized exhibitions of her collection and actively supports loan requests from international professional art institutions, thereby enhancing public understanding and appreciation of contemporary Chinese art.
About Curator
Xia Kejun (b. 1969) is a philosopher, art critic and curator. He received his PhD in philosophy from Wuhan University, and pursued post-doctoral studies at the University of Freiburg in Germany and the University of Strasbourg in France. He currently serves as a professor in the School of Liberal Arts at Renmin University of China.
He is renowned for his contributions to contemporary aesthetics, art theory, and phenomenology, and was honored with the European Medal of Poetry and Art (HOMER) in 2023.
Committed to bridging Chinese and Western philosophical traditions, he has published over twenty books on philosophy and art. His representative works include: A Waiting and Useless Nation – Zhuangzi and Heidegger's Second Turn, Useless Theology – Benjamin, Heidegger and Zhuangzi, Useless Literature – Kafka and China, and Infra-thin: Duchamp and Zhuangzi. Through his writings, he has fostered a profound dialogue between Chinese Daoist thought (Zhuangzi) and Western philosophers such as Heidegger, Benjamin, Kafka, and Derrida. In doing so, he has formalized the Eastern concepts of Useless (Wuyong), Chora (Xu), and Remnant (Yu) as significant categories within contemporary philosophy.
Furthermore, as an influential contemporary art critic and curator, Xia Kejun has proposed concepts such as Infra-mince Art, Infra-image, and Enchorial-topia (or Geotopology). Based on these ideas, he has curated a series of important exhibitions in both China and Europe
Ding Fang (b. 1956) is a curator and art theorist. He studied under Su Tianci at the Nanjing University of the Arts and currently serves as Professor at the School of Arts, Renmin University of China, and as Director of the Renaissance Research Institute at Renmin University.
He is renowned for his contemporary oil painting practice and his curatorial work centered on the concept of “Oriental Renaissance.” He has received several international honors, including Honorary Academician of the Accademia Carrara in Italy, Researcher at the Ambrosiana Academy, and Honorary Researcher at the Museo Ideale Leonardo da Vinci.
In the 1980s ’85 New Wave movement, Ding Fang established his artistic foundation through “Great Soul Painting.” He later shifted his focus to curatorial and academic leadership, actively promoting the development of the “Oriental Renaissance” school. He has led several major national research projects funded by the National Social Science Fund of China, proposed the academic framework of “Art Technology Studies,” and published multiple theoretical works. Through his core Renaissance in the East series, he has advanced key concepts such as “Sacred Landscapes,” “Civilizational Mutual Learning,” and “Silk Road Revelations,” which have become important references in contemporary Chinese art and cultural revival.
Furthermore, as an influential contemporary art curator and academic host, Ding Fang has organized a series of important academic exhibitions and symposia in both China and Europe under the theme of “Oriental Renaissance.” Notable projects include the 2015 international symposium and exhibition Renaissance in the East in Florence, Italy, and the 2016 exhibition of the same name at the National Academy of Painting in China. Through these initiatives, he has sought to integrate the humanistic spirit of the Western Renaissance with traditional Chinese landscape philosophy and contemporary artistic language, contributing to the spiritual reconstruction and international discourse of Chinese contemporary art.
Wang Chunchen (b. 1964) is a curator and art critic. He currently serves as Professor and PhD Supervisor at CAFA, Director of the Contemporary Art Research Center at the CAFA Art Museum, and a member of the Curatorial Committee of the China Artists Association.
He is renowned for his contributions to contemporary art theory and curatorial practice. In 2009, he received the China Contemporary Art Award for Criticism. He has also held several international academic appointments, including Special Curator at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University and Visiting Researcher at Tate Britain.
Wang Chunchen is dedicated to the theoretical development of Chinese contemporary art and its engagement with social realities. He has published several influential books, including Art Intervenes in Society, The Democracy of Art, and The Politics of Images. Through his writings, he has established concepts such as “art intervening in society” and “the politics of exhibition” as important categories in contemporary art theory.
Furthermore, as a curator with a strong international vision, Wang Chunchen served as curator of the Chinese Pavilion at the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013. This year, he curated the Tao Jin Mi (Golden Grains) project at the Venice Biennale. Through innovative public behavior art and participatory artistic actions, the project brings Chinese contemporary artistic language into global dialogue. It expands the boundaries of curatorial practice by engaging with contemporary social issues on an international stage, enhancing the visibility and influence of Chinese contemporary art worldwide, and offering new perspectives to the global discourse of contemporary art.
