Many talented artists of Asian descent helped define the vibrant art scene in downtown New York in the last decades of the 20th century, including some in China Institute Gallery’s current exhibition, Metamorphosis: Chinese Imagination and Transformation. On World AIDS Day, we will remember their contributions and those who lost their lives during the AIDS crisis, by tracing their steps on the trendy Lower East Side and East Village. Artists highlighted in this walk may include Ching Ho Cheng, Chuang Che, David Diao, Ming Fay, Tehching Hsieh, Ma Hao, Anna Sui, Tan Dun, Tseng Kwong Chi, Muna Tseng, and Martin Wong. The sites to be visited include where they exhibited, worked, and hung out with peers.
Whether you are a local who knows these neighborhoods well or just visiting the city, join us for this unique art historian’s perspective on downtown New York, a chance to see its streets not just as they are today, but as the vibrant canvas for a generation of transformative artists.
The tour begins from the Lower East Side, inside the Delancey St – Essex St subway station on the downtown F-Train platform at 1 PM. Run time is approximately 2 hours. The tour totals 3 miles of walking on uneven terrain on the Lower East Side, East Village, SoHo, Tribeca, and Chinatown, making brief standing stops at each selected site. Please wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather. The tour will proceed rain or shine; in the event of extreme weather that requires a tour cancellation, we will contact registered guests in advance.
The tour is limited to a maximum of 20 people. Reservations close two hours before the scheduled start time. For more information, please contact Tracy Jiao at [email protected].
Image: Martin Wong (1964-1999). Canal Street, 1992. Acrylic on canvas. 72 x 96 ins. (182.9 x 243.8 cm). Collection of The New-York Historical, Purchase, Watson Fund, 2000.6ab. Copyright Martin Wong Foundation. Courtesy of the Estate of Martin Wong and P·P·O·W, New York.
