Press Release | Liu Shiming Art Foundation to Present TRACES,An Exhibition of Works by Liu Shiming and Lite ZhangOctober 7 – October 31, 2025

Lite Zhang, same roots (2023), variable installation of driftwood, construction wood, brown paper, metal, hemp rope, stage light, and sound. Image courtesy of the artist

Liu Shiming Art Foundation

15 E 40th Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10016

Special Event: October 10 from 4-6pm

New York, New York – October 6, 2025 – The Liu Shiming Art Foundation is pleased to announce its upcoming exhibition TRACES, on view from October 7 through October 31, 2025. The exhibition brings together the works of two Chinese artists from different generations, Liu Shiming (1926-2010) and Lite Zhang (b. 1998), both of whom explore the human body as a site of passage and transformation, capturing the fragility and strength of existence.

For both artists, the body is central to their practice, not as an idealized form, but as a vessel for experience and transformation. The exhibition places the works of these two artists in dialogue with each other. As one example, Zhang’s installation of drift wood, construction wood, hemp rope, and metal entitled Same Roots presents a representation of bodies adrift in a search for hope and patience; five of Liu Shiming’s clay and bronze busts will surround the installation, acting as silent witnesses to this journey. The works face each other as if in conversation, creating a suspended moment where ambiguous figures and bodily metaphors gain interpretive possibility. 

Liu Shiming’s simple, sensitive busts and reclining figures embody a universal humanity rooted in everyday life. His works strive to show the imprints of the sculptural process, while also reflecting the vulnerable traces of life itself. In contrast, Lite Zhang investigates the body through themes of displacement and migration, transforming materials into works that merge installation, performance, and sculpture. His pieces create unstable presences within a space, suggesting a constant oscillation between being grounded and drifting.

Together, the artists’ shared sensibility brings to light the fragile moments and inner landscapes of ordinary people in moments of instability. They question how bodies move, are perceived, and impact what endures and changes over time. TRACES invites viewers to contemplate what connects people to humanity, nature, and the broader world.

On October 10th from 4-6pm, the Foundation will host a panel to discuss the exhibition with Lite Zhang, artist Alexandra Grant, and Director of Rinehart School of Sculpture MFA at MICA Dolores Zinny.  

About Lite Zhang

Lite Zhang 张里特 (b. 1998, China) is a Los Angeles and Baltimore based artist who is interested in space and audience interaction. He received an MFA degree in Rinehart School of Sculpture at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in spring 2024. Zhang's installations engage different senses, including auditory, tactile, and immersive components, while exploring the infinite possibilities of materials, found objects, and trash to reflect social phenomena. He has shown in Los Angeles, Washington DC, Rockville, and Baltimore, Maryland, including locally cutting-edge galleries like Current Space, AREA 405, and VisArts.

About Liu Shiming 

Liu Shiming (1926-2010) is a revered Chinese artist whose works have had a distinct impact on the course of modern Chinese sculpture. Born in Tianjin, Liu attended the prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing where he was part of the first generation of sculptors trained by the People’s Republic of China to study both traditional Chinese art and French modernist principles. He continued to create and exhibit his sculpture in China until his death. Less than decade later, Liu’s sculpture began to be shown outside of China, appearing in public spaces and special exhibitions, notably at the Oculus in New York City and the Asian Cultural Center in Washington, DC. More recently, he has shown in university galleries and museums throughout the US and Canada, with exhibitions planned for Europe in the next year. His works are in the permanent collections of the American University in Cairo, Egypt; Czech National Museum in Prague; Georgia State University, Atlanta; Henan Art Museum, Zhengzhou, China; Macaulay Honors College in New York City; and the National Art Museum of China and the National Museum of Chinese History in Beijing. 

About The Liu Shiming Art Foundation

Established in 2021, the Liu Shiming Art Foundation supports contemporary art worldwide while elevating and preserving the art of renowned Chinese artist Liu Shiming (1926-2010). Based in New York, the Foundation curates contemporary art exhibitions and provides scholarships, grants, and exchange opportunities to cultivate and grow a global arts discourse that recognizes common humanity, as Liu Shiming did as a teacher, through his art and life. lsmartfund.org.

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