 lex Cao, the founder of China Square Gallery in New York, was a well-known New York fashion photographer before turning his eye to Chinese contemporary Art. Now, he is running a major art gallery in the heart of New Yorks’ thriving arts district in Chelsea, an area that is both artistic and fashionable. He travels to China frequently in search of art works to show and promote in New York. While some of the world’s leading galleries, like Pace Wildenstein and Gagosian, are searching for a way to move into Beijing and Shanghai, Alex is taking Chinese artists to New York, and not just a few big names. ArtZineChina.com interviewed Alex Cao, about his new venture, and his passion for Chinese art and culture.
ArtZineChina Q: Alex, could you please tell us how ChinaSquare got started?
ALEX: In the latter half of 2002 I had the chance to visit China and I visited Zhang Xiaogang and several other distinguished artists. I felt deeply touched by their art. Many years of experience in art collection convinced me that works by Chinese artists were finding their way into the international scene with the unique Chinese art style. For five years my round trips between Beijing and New York have built up my confidence in China’s political and economic development. It was a critical precondition for starting ChinaSquare because China’s growing international influence is sure to draw more attention to Chinese art and culture. Then, in 2004, I decided to try a gallery and also began to invest in other galleries. Actually, I went through a long learning process. From the autumn of 2006, when preparation of ChinaSquare was formally begun, until the May of 2007 when the Gallery conducted its first exhibition, took about eight months.
ArtZineChina Q: Please tell us why you would change from photography to running a gallery?
 ALEX: In college, I majored in photography and advertising market at the Fashion Institute of Technology, or F.I.T., in New York, and I dreamed of becoming a freelance artist after graduation, touring around the world. However, in a society like that in New York you would instinctively feel a need to acquire the ability to survive first. At that time I believed I might have only temporarily put aside my art dream; I started my own advertising company and opened up a new prospect by producing two-dimensional ads. Because I had a good deal of money at the time, I was able to buy some top-quality photography equipment, and that greatly contributed to my contentment in my profession. But after many years of hard work, my art dream still remained strong, and I collected through auction houses some works by the photographic masters I admired. By chance, I also began to collect Chinese art works, from porcelain antiques to works by Lin Fengmian, Qi Baishi and other artists of the older generation. Later, I also collected works by Cai Guoqiang and other contemporary artists. I sensed from my collections that ancient Chinese culture must be an inexhaustibly precious resource, and art styles of the contemporary artists also filled me with wonders. In a macro-atmosphere where the west dominates the art market I could sense an age of oriental cultural prosperity was on the way... Since then I had one more dream that I might play a more significant role than being an artist only.
ArtZineChina Q: Please tell us how you have positioned the role of ChinaSquare in so large a gallery industry of New York to build up a different image?
 ALEX:Before opening the Gallery we struggled to find a proper name for the gallery. Finally, the name “ChinaSquare” represented my confidence in Chinese art, and it also showed my pride in being a Chinese. I hope in New York, the art and economic center of the world, more Chinese art works will come to be exhibited and bought and sold here. Naturally I was also nervous because many kind people around me had dissuaded me from using the name of “ChinaSquare.” They were afraid that Chinese art was still too peripheral in the international art scene. However, for me ChinaSquare not only strives for business success but represents my confidence in and admiration for Chinese culture. Meanwhile, ChinaSquare is also a messenger of art and culture, and I expect it to contribute to both business success and academic research. So our gallery has staff members who communicate with art museums, art colleges and academic funding organizations to introduce to them our exhibited artists and their works.
ArtZineChina Q: What kind of works would ChinaSquare exhibit?
ALEX:Currently, we’re showing paintings, which have dominated ChinaSquare’s exhibitions. But we also show photography, sculpture, video and installations.
ArtZineChina Q: What’s the biggest challenge for running a gallery?
 ALEX: We’ve come to understand that Chinese art works are still alien to Westerners.The biggest challenge ChinaSquare faces is loneliness, as there are still few galleries in New York that are devoted to Chinese art, and only a handful of famous western galleries represent the best-known Chinese contemporary artists. For example, Pace Wildenstein contracted with Zhang Xiaogang and Zhang Huan. If there are more galleries that understand western and Chinese cultures and serve to bridge the two cultures, the Chinese art market and art research could further find their way into the sight of Western collectors.
ArtZineChina Q: Could you briefly tell us about the exhibitions you held in the past and those you plan in the future?
ALEX:We’ve held a successful group exhibition of 53 contemporary Chinese photo artists – “Evolution of the Dragon,” the “She & I” exhibition of sculptors Xiang Jing and Guang Ci, the solo exhibition of Chen Jiagang’s photography – “Forbidden City,” the joint exhibition of painting and sculptural works – “Revolution,” and other exhibitions. In 2008, we are planning solo exhibitions of works by Ye Yongqing, Zhao Nengzhi, Su Xinping, Cui Guotai, and Jin Kewen. We are also planning to hold large-scale joint exhibitions, like the group exhibition of the artists from southwest China and the group exhibition of young Chinese artists that is planned by Feng Boyi, the well-known artists. In 2009, we’ll conduct solo exhibitions of Mao Yan, Zhu Wei, and some other artists.
ArtZineChina Q: Do you publish art books at the same time?
ALEX:When the Gallery started we also founded a publishing company and applied for a publishing license in the US. Currently, we’re focusing on the reproduction and publication of the works by ChinaSquare’s exhibited artists. Later, I will consider funding art critics to publish some monographs on contemporary Chinese art. 。
ArtZineChina Q: Could you roughly tell about your gallery’s geographic location in New York?
Because that district could be regarded as a newly developing art and cultural district of New York City, what does it look like?
ALEX:The New York ChinaSquare art space is housed in the 8th floor of Arts Tower on the 25th street in Chelsea District. It covers a space of 450 square meters and has 3 exhibition halls; the two walls of the main hall each have a length of 10 meters. The space is suitable for large-scale exhibitions and is very good for exhibiting oil paintings, sculptures, photographic works and other art forms. The 9th floor of the Tower is a space for the private art collections of Dell Corporation’s president; the 7th floor is a space for the private art collections of Larry Warsh (a distinguished art collector); the 12th floor is kept for the Joan Mitchell Foundation; and the private office of distinguished fashion designer Calvin Klein and other well-known galleries are also housed in the Arts Tower. It can be reasonably argued that the Arts Tower is the center of art and fashion and a meeting place for celebrities.
ArtZineChina Q: Among your gallery’s exhibited artists, which are the less-known new stars you have discovered in China?
ALEX: The photographer Chen Jiagangcould be regarded as a “new star” and one of the “favorite stars” we brought out in New York. Before that Chen had never had a solo exhibition in New York. His photographic works appeared in the group-profile exhibition: “Evolution of the Dragon,” which was planned by Zhu Qi. Among the works by the 53 Chinese photographers, Chen’s work “Three (Remote) Regions” caught my eyes immediately and I felt drowned in its mysterious atmosphere. The scenes in his work resemble very much those in “The City of Lost Children,” a French film and one of my favorites. Chen has very unique grasp of picture composition and atmosphere in his works, which might have something to do with his legendary personal experiences. I think it might be first due to my taste and secondly because of the so-called vision, soon I conducted for him his solo exhibition and recommended one of his works to be the cover work of the June issue of 2007 of “PDN,” a professional photography magazine. I also helped get his works to appear with world-renowned artists’ works in philanthropic auctions. At Art Basel Miami last December,  I again seized the opportunity and conducted for him his solo exhibition at the Photo Miami Art Fair. Though we now have fewer works by Chen, we’re still promoting him academically, and we’re recommending his works to art museums and authoritative photographic organizations.
ArtZineChina Q: Does your gallery exhibit only contemporary Chinese artists?
ALEX: Currently we’re dealing with works by Chinese artists.After our gallery has developed to a mature and steady stage we will perform a role of the bridge between Chinese and Western arts.
ArtZineChina Q: Contemporary Chinese art is very hot in auction markets; then is it also the case with galleries there? Do you have a feeling that your gallery attracts a lot of attention in New York?
ALEX:ChinaSquare does attract great attention in New York. MOMA, the Guggenheim Museum, The New York Times and some authoritative art magazines have all come to visit our exhibitions and reported on them positively. Our market sales were also better than I expected, and several large auction houses in New York added Chinese artists’ works to the previous catalogue of works by Western artists only. But generally it is not as hot as in China. Many collectors still have no idea of contemporary Chinese art and it still needs more promotion. Naturally, we have very high expectations of art collector groups because first-class collectors could arouse and influence the enthusiasm of the whole West for collecting Chinese art. And we expect our artists to be fully devoted to the creation of good works. Artists and galleries should refrain from the auction market’s influence, and they should correctly understand and stick to their art and taste standards.
Related Links:
·SEMIOSIS: ChinaSquare Exhibition
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