Alisan Fine Arts is pleased to participate in West Bund Art & Design for the first time. Our booth showcases several important Chinese diaspora artists that Alisan has been representing since our establishment in 1981. Chao Chung-hsiang, Walasse Ting, John Way, Lan Zhenghui, Liu Jian and Yang Qi are Chinese-born artists who immigrated outside of China to find their styles influenced by the Western practices and movements in Europe and America. Conscious of the power of cross-cultural exchange, the gallery has been staging exhibitions for Western artists in China as well. French-born painter Fabienne Verdier had the unique experience of leaving her homeland to spend several years in Sichuan, China learning the traditional art of calligraphy, which now serves as the creative catalyst for her famous "calligraphic paintings." When it comes to a particular piece of art, we tend to analytically assign a category such as "Chinese" or "American," yet, like the artists who create them, the reality of nationality and categories is quite complex and resistant to rigid classification. This space reminds us that art is not bound by classifications, and that enjoyment requires us to relax and appreciate the art that exists between geographical borders.