While much has already succumbed to Beijing’s infamously cold winter weather, contemporary art in the Northern Capital has been spared – in fact, it is flourishing. A number of intriguing, China-centric contemporary art exhibitions are currently running through December and January, which makes the holiday season a perfect time to experience Beijing through its new art.

Here are a few current exhibitions that are expanding the scope of China’s contemporary art scene:

1) Li Ming: ‘XX’ – An artist new to Chinese contemporary art, Li Ming’s video installation is characterized by disordered emotions, theatrical moments in real life, and Li’s view on body interaction. The Hunan native created 11 videos are not directly based in reality – in fact, they are rather absurd – but nevertheless reflect sorrow and longing found in everyday life thanks to their uninhibited style. Read a complete review here.

2) ‘Stolen Treasures from Modern China’ – This exhibit features portraits from over 30 influential Chinese artists of the 1990s by both Chinese and Western photographers. Additionally, ‘Stolen Treasures’ features a visual discussion of China’s artistic development from the past 20 years, as well as documents from the early days of China’s contemporary art.

3) Wen Fang: ‘Birthday Present’ – Fang’s ‘Birthday Present,’ a collection of installations that explore influential events on China in 2008, critically examines China’s economic development, environmental issues, and explosion onto the global stage. ‘Birthday Present’ seeks to spark the world’s consciousness in order to change for the future. Read the rest of the review here.

Exhibition details

Li Ming: ‘XX’ – until December 27th, 2009 at Platform China Contemporary Art Institute Space B

‘Stolen Treasures from Modern China’ – until December 31st, 2009 at ShanghArt Beijing

Wen Fang: ‘Birthday Present’ – until January 27th, 2010 at Galerie Paris-Beijing