In Dialogue
In 2019, an art acquisition trip brought curator Lan Shi from Beijing to New York. When the pandemic extended her stay, she shifted her focus and began working as a full-time freelance curator and art agent. Since then, she has organized more than a dozen exhibitions of varying scale, including her current project with artist Jeffrey Morabito.
Shi studied drawing from a young age but initially pursued business. After launching her first successful venture in 2006, she was invited to sponsor a childhood friend’s overseas exhibition. That experience redirected her toward curation and revealed a way to support artists internationally. To build a foundation for this work, she studied art criticism and curating at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. While still a student, she collaborated with cultural institutions in Macau and helped establish her first gallery. She later founded Lan Space in Beijing, where she organized exhibitions that brought together artists, concepts, and audiences. In our conversation, she reflects on her curatorial vision and her collaboration with Morabito.
Tell us about the evolution of Jeffrey Morabito’s exhibition at the Herald Gospel Plaza in Flushing.
Revisiting Jeffrey Morabito’s work in New York after traveling from Beijing, gave me a lot to think about. His work, The Caged Bird Sings, in particular, instantly reminded me of poet Maya Angelou’s debut memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. The work expresses dissatisfaction with the status quo, yearning for inner freedom, reflections on multiculturalism, and exploration of one’s own identity – all which resonate with Jeffrey’s own mixed heritage and background. Plus, many of his works are related to New York City. So, from the theme to the current location of the exhibition, it’s a perfect fit.
Jeffrey Morabito, an American artist of mixed Chinese and Italian descent, lived and worked in Beijing for ten years, and now lives in New York. His mixed heritage has undoubtedly deeply influenced his artistic creations, including the ink drawings he frequently uses.
He says “I am a New Yorker.” The situations and feelings of living in New York become the starting point of his creations. Perhaps, only by living in New York for a long time can you realize that there are some dilemmas that you can’t break free from and change, no matter how hard you try. In fact, this is a common dilemma in life, no matter where you live. New York is just a more focused representation of life as a “bird in a cage.”
Jeffrey Morabito paints a figurative bird with gorgeous feathers and a noble head, but it has lost its freedom by being confined to a cage. The strong contrast creates a sadness that pervades many of Morabito’s works.
Tell us about the body of work in the show.
The exhibition charts a journey from confinement (“cage”) through a dynamic “struggle,” into a life force of “vitality” and “sensuality” to arrive at liberated “freedom” and the ultimate triumph of “finding identity.” There are 25 works by Jeffrey Morabito in this exhibit.
Tell us a bit about the venue.
Before we speak about Herald Art & Culture Center, we should start with CCHC, The Chinese Christian Herald Crusades (CCHC), or 基督教角聲佈道團. It is a large, respected Christian non-profit founded in 1982 to serve the Chinese diaspora. It provides extensive social services, like immigrant support, healthcare screenings, senior care, and youth programs, primarily in communities like New York City’s Flushing. Essentially, it is a faith-based organization that has become a pillar of the community by addressing the practical and spiritual needs of the people it serves. The Herald Art & Culture Center is a vital part of CCHC’s mission.
