American conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas' work The Embrace is displayed during a joint exhibition titled People Everyday in New York, the United States, on May 20, 2025. A collection of art works by renowned Chinese sculptor Liu Shiming and American conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas was previewed Tuesday at the Liu Shiming Art Gallery in midtown New York City. (Photo by Sabrina Zhang/Xinhua)

?A collection of art works by renowned Chinese sculptor Liu Shiming and American conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas was previewed Tuesday at the Liu Shiming Art Gallery in midtown New York City.

The joint exhibition, titled People Everyday, is sponsored by the Liu Shiming Art Foundation. This event marks the first time the foundation has partnered Liu Shiming's works with a contemporary creator.

With nearly a 30-year gap between their careers, the gallery meticulously features more than 35 paintings and sculptures from the two artists, highlighting their mutual investment in the human form, caregiving and community.

The Liu Shiming Art Foundation was established in 2021 and has since staged over 40 exhibitions worldwide. Geoffrey M. Glick, the foundation's acting president, said their goal is to preserve and promote the artistry of the late Chinese sculptor through exhibitions, traveling shows and research sponsorships.

He said the nonprofit organization seeks to support future artists with grants, scholarships and exchange opportunities that mimic the communal aspect Liu addressed through his art and life.

Thomas and curator Emann Odufu were present at the preview. Thomas, who is interested in reaching everyday people with his art, said that seeing his works next to Liu's has led him to view his pieces in a new light.

"With my work, I'm always inviting myself and viewers to shift our position of what we know to be the truth of reality and what we're looking at... It expands my understanding of my work to be in conversation with Liu Shiming," said Thomas.

Liu, a graduate of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, specialized in Chinese sculpture and was noted for his representation of everyday people. He left Beijing to embark across rural areas in China where he captured locals and their lives through memory, forever etched in his models.

Conversely, Thomas began his career in 1990s America during a time of media overconsumption and attempts to interrogate history through his art. They both focus on the importance of everyday people and ask the audience to bear witness to reality.

Odufu said that Thomas and Liu are "two artists separated by time and geography but united by a profound commitment to portraying the dignity of the working condition."

People Everyday initiates a conversation between the past and present, the East and the West, and the commonality of everyday individuals in moments of national transformation. The exhibition runs from May 27 to July 31, 2025.