Off the Grid by Pleter Schoolwerth. [Photo provided to China Daily]

This is also the first time he has curated an art show that has included a lot of his friends. To organize the show, he spent two days visiting their studios in New York. They used to party together many years ago but now do their own art separately, so it was quite an "emotional experience", says Sweeney, who is also a musician, a former club owner and DJ.

When he asked his artist friends whether they'd like to be presented in Beijing, they said they were excited.

Hadrien de Montferrand, founder of HdM gallery, says members of the art community led by Sweeney have personal takes to offer about their lives in New York, and Sweeney came up with the idea of presenting a group show when asked about the energy and creativity of the city.

"I can feel the energy from him, his guitar, his band, his club, his drums. He is at the center of the creative community of New York," Montferrand says.

Sweeney is now running an experimental project in New York at his studio. Every Sunday night, he holds a jazz party, and offers drinks, food and music to anyone interested. People whom he has never seen before drop by and artists draw at the venue. Painters usually paint alone, but Sweeney's parties allow people to watch the process of creating art.

"It's a new way of strengthening the art community," he says.

If you go

10 am-6 pm, through May 6. No 4, Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-5978-9320.