Chambers Fine Art is named after the distinguished British architect, Sir William Chambers who, in addition to his architectural practice, was a leading exponent
of Chinese principles in garden design in the late eighteenth century. Inspired by the example of Chambers, Christophe W. Mao, founder and director of the gallery since 2000, has organized a stimulating series of exhibitions that have introduced the work of some of artists such as Ai \Veiwei, Cai Guo-Qiang, Chi Peng, Geng Jianyi, Guo Hongwei, Hong Hao, Hong Lei, Lu Shengzhong, Qiu Shihua, Qiu Zhijie, Shi Jinsong Song Dong, Wang Jianwei, Wang Tiande, Wu Jian'an, Xiuzhen, Zhan Wang, Zhang Huan, and other artists. who are active in China and abroad today.
Born in Wuhan, China in 1963, Christophe W. Mao came to the United States in 1986. After graduating from Drexel University in 1993, he worked for several
years as a financial analyst before deciding that his interests lay elsewhere. In 2000, he opened Chambers Fine Art in the Chelsea district of New York, focusing on
classical Chinese furniture and contemporary Chinese art. Since 2003, however, recognizing that the contemporary side of his activities demanded his full attention, the gallery has concentrated on contemporary Chinese art. In 2005 Mr. Mao was one of the sponsors of the first ever Chinese Pavilion at the Venice Biennale curated by Cai Guo Qiang. The first exhibition in the New York gallery, "First Encounter," was devoted to the work of the outstanding paper-cut artist Lu Shengzhong who converted the gallery space into a vividly colored 'temple' that evoked another aspect of life in China than the contemporary urban culture explored by so many younger
artists. Other solo exhibitions in the last eight years have been devoted to the work of Hong Hao. Wang Tiande, Wang Jianwei, Qiu Shihua, Rong Rong and inri, Hong Lei and Qiu Zhijie. The following gallery program has devoted to the work of established
and young artists and thematic exhibitions organized by recognized scholars in the field such as Feng Boyi, Paul Laster, Yasufumi Nakamori, Gu Zhenqing, Yang
Shin-Yi, Pi Li, Zheng Shengtian, Michael Zhang, Zhang Li, etc. In 2006, Christophe W. Mao commissioned HHF Architects + Ai Weiwei to design a storage facility on his property in upstate New York. The building, named Artfarm, which originated in
discussions between Mao and Ai Weiwei and was completed in June 2008, is conceived by HHF Architects as "An equal member of a whole group of sculptures which are spread out in the landscape." Built on sloping land, three interconnected
structures house storage space, offices and exhibition space. There is a marked contrast between the geometric severity of the steel exterior and the exposed
surface of the heavy insulation that is such an unexpected feature of the interior. The effectiveness of the building results from a series of contrasts, between the rustic setting and the minimal f~rm as well as between the rigid, light-reflecting exterior and the softly draped interior. Chambers Fine Art Beijing was opened in September 2007 and its building was designed by Ai Weiwei located in the Caochangdi district which is rapidly becoming one of the major centers of contemporary art in Beijing. The first exhibition in the new space, "Net: Reimagining Space, Time and Culture" was organized by Wu Hung. He has investigated the concept of a 'net' which transcends any given time of space, history and region, specificity and abstraction. Included in the exhibition are works by Ai Weiwei, Hong Hao, He Yunchang, Lu Shengzhong, Hong Lei, Qiu Zhujie, Rong Rong & inri, ShiJinsong, Song Dong,
Wang Jianwei, Wang Tiande, Wu Jian'an, Yin Xiuzhen, Yu Hong, Zhan Wang, Zhang Peili, and Zheng Guogu. Following this the exhibition "Tan Dun: Organic Music" presented a new series of visual works derived from the internationally celebrated composer's Organic Music series while later in the season there were solo exhibitions devoted to Qiu Zhijie, Hong Lei, Wu Jian'an amongst others. Many of the exhibitions at Chambers Fine Art are accompanied by catalogs frequently designed by the artists themselves. The catalog of Rong Rong's "East Village," (2003) the first
extensive survey of the short-lived but influential artist's community that included Zhang Huan and Ma Liuming, was accompanied with the publication of a limited-edition portfolio of original photographs housed in an iron box with text by Wu Hung.
Also the publication of "New Photo- Ten Years," (2007) a reprint of the seminal underground magazine published from 1996 to 1998 by Rong Rong and Liu Zheng
was noteworthy. To create a broader international appreciation of contemporary Chinese art, Chambers Fine Art will continue their work both in New York and Beijing with the established artists as well as with the emerging talents from China.