Mao Zedong died on September 9, 1976, leaving a power vacuum in his wake. A month later, his ever faithful Gang of Four was purged. For two years political turmoil reigned; then Deng Xiaoping took power. The new leadership abandoned orthodox communist practices, decentralizing the economy and restoring freedom of speech. Art historical texts from beyond the country’s borders trickled in and inspired Chinese modernists. This was the pre-Internet era, so most of the images that circulated took the form of photographs that were projected from slides. The importance of the slide medium during this time in China is the focus of this exhibition. —Elena Clavarino