"Utopia No. 7" (2012) is the stunning painting that belongs to the important new "Utopia" Series of magnificent, large-scale realist oil paintings by famous Chinese Contemporary artist, Shi Lifeng (China, b. 1968). Shi's "Utopia" Series marks an exciting, new direction for the artist, as his paintings and sculptures have shed the intense black and red color palette and the severe Mao-era cultural references, which defined Shi's oeuvre for the past decade. "Utopia No. 7" is a lush and surreal painting that depicts a close up detail of a jade-hued garden bursting with brilliant cherry blossoms in full bloom with blue skies and light filling the negative space. The artist's iconic, miniature bright red winged human figures still appear here, as they represent the Chinese collective, but now they are light-hearted and celebratory, playing and hovering amongst the flowers like honey-bees, their presence filling the scene with a sense of jubilant dynamism and hope for the future of China. This painting measures 39.35 x 59.05 inches (100 x 150 cm) is unframed and in excellent condition.

Shi Lifeng is one of the most famous artists of his 1960's generation of Chinese Avant Garde artists and has exhibited at top international museums and galleries such as the Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art, Yang Gallery (Singapore), and Beijing Contemporary Art Museum (Beijing, China), among others. Shi Lifeng graduated in 1991 from the Hebei Normal University, Hebei Province, China with a Degree in Painting. The artist lives and works in China.