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Front Cover: Qiu Xiaofei. Utopia (detail). 2010. Oil on canvas. 118⅛ x 157½ inches. Courtesy of the artist and Beijing Commune.

Qiu Xiaofei creates art in which the real and the imagined coexist in tension within a single space. Curator Barbara Pollock describes Utopia in the exhibition catalog: “In the center is a figure with outstretched arm, echoing the statues of Mao that punctuate the city. But here the statue is headless, a leader without direction, standing under a gray sky pouring down debris. It is a deeply cynical image and is a pointed response to the many planned utopias in Chinese modern history, many of which led to the death of millions. Even today, as China plans contemporary super-cities, these places promising utopian lifestyles have in reality moved millions from the countryside into alienating, modern environments.” As with the best of recent Chinese art, the themes resonate beyond China and speak of global issues. Utopian ideals and dystopian realities abound in conflicts in Syria and throughout the Middle East. And, of course, the gap between the real and the ideal is felt in much of contemporary literature as well as in visual art.

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