a poco art collective launches its new open studio series with “Temple of Flow,” an immersive one-evening presentation by Los Angeles-based artist Lei Benben. The series reimagines the artist’s own studio as both exhibition space and living environment, a site where creation, ritual, and community converge.
Each edition of the a poco open studio series transforms an artist’s workspace into a momentary exhibition. Visitors are invited to step inside the intimate process of art-making while encountering newly finished works in situ. Combining the spontaneity of a studio visit with the energy of an opening, these evenings offer a direct dialogue between artist, curator, art lovers and collectors.
In “Temple of Flow,” Lei Benben continues her exploration of transformation, ritual, and the human body as vessel. Working with performance, the body, paint, scent, and organic materials, her practice draws from Zen philosophies and elemental cycles of earth and water. For this presentation, Ann Shi guides the spatial and curatorial layout, revealing the fluid relationship between process and offering— the studio as temple.
Guests are invited to join for a pre-open studio tea ceremony (RSVP required, $20 donation suggested) at 5 PM followed by conversation, drinks, and a video art screening (7 PM). Works will be available for acquisition directly from the artist in an informal, convivial setting.
Schedule:
5–6pm: Tea ceremony (suggested $20 donation to cover materials; limited to 12 guests; RSVP only)
7–8pm: Video art screening
About the Series:
a poco open studio series is a new initiative by a poco art collective, transforming artists’ studios into temporary exhibition spaces for one-night presentations. Each installment centers an artist’s ongoing body of work, accompanied by a curatorial text and installation direction by Ann Shi. The series celebrates intimacy, process, and the art of hosting and becoming, redefining exhibition as a social and spiritual gathering.
About the Artist:
Lei Benben (b. 1977, Jiangxi, China) is an interdisciplinary artist based in Los Angeles. Trained in dance choreography (China Academy of Dance Arts) and photography (Beijing Film Academy), her work moves between performance, video/photographic diaries, painting, and community workshops grounded in Zen-inspired somatic practice.
Notable presentations include MISTY – Lahem X Lei Benben (M’s Room, Beijing, 2024), No Brainstorming (M’s Room, 2017), Facing the Shadow (C-Space, Hangzhou, 2016), The Gift (Now Gallery, 2015), Tribute to Isadora Duncan (East Gallery, 2014), and Tilting Coastline (Boers-Li Gallery, 2011). Group exhibitions include Three Shadows Photography Award Finalists (Beijing, 2012), Chinese Contemporary Art Yearbook exhibitions (Minsheng Art Museum, 2011 & 2016), Lianzhou International Photo Festival (2010), and Chinese Contemporary Photography (DNJ Gallery, Los Angeles, 2008). Workshops and recent projects include The Art of Wordlessness: Zen Tea & Meditative Movement (Venice, 2025) and Zen Dance and Painting Workshop: The Beauty of Awareness (San Gabriel, 2025).
About the Curator:
Ann Shi is a nomadic curator, writer, and founder of a poco art collective, a curatorial platform based in Los Angeles. Her projects explores ecofeminist cosmology, Asian philosophy, and diasporic narratives through site-responsive exhibitions that blur the boundary between ritual and curating. Recent exhibitions include Nüwa’s Garden: A Summer Offering in Clay, Fire, and Water (Charles Arnoldi Studio, 2025), Borders of Paradise: Liminal Creatures in the Floating World (Spring/Break Art Show New York, 2025), and Ritual of Holding (okusendo, Houston, upcoming 2025). Shi holds an M.A. in Art Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art, MMath in Mathematics from Oxford University, and previously served as Associate Curator at Rice University’s Moody Center for the Arts and Chao Center for Asian Studies.
Media Contact:
Ann Shi | Founder & Curator, a poco art collective
ann@apoco.art | www.apoco.art | IG: @annonymous_cynist @a.poco.art.collective
