Colosseum Fine Arts sees the future — of art, that is. The art gallery, located at 7946 Ivanhoe Ave., is bringing a series of exhibitions to La Jolla, bridging the seaside community with a distant neighbor — and an immerging force in the art world — across the Pacific: China. “China’s government may not have always been receptive to art, but it’s opening up now,” said gallery president Floyd Elmore. “Artists have traditionally been guarded by the powers that be, and expression has not always been what the communist party was about. [Art] used to be very state sponsored, but it’s different now. It’s an amazing time period to be involved in this.” Between now and August, Colosseum will open five different exhibits showcasing different Chinese contemporary artists. The first show, opening with a reception on March 3, will be “The Future of the Future,” with 11 works by the Beijing-based Liu Zhonghua. The exhibit, which will be on display throughout March, will follow Zhonghua’s work back to 2008 — a series of paintings that depict elements of innocence like childhood and playfulness mixed with uncertainty for the future. Zhonghua will be present at the March 3 event to discuss his inspiration and life as an artist in a communist country. “Some of these guys were the definition of a starving artist 10 years ago,” Elmore said. “Now, they’re experiencing a great level of success. The message behind it is so powerful. It’s really flourishing.” Elmore said the gallery worked very closely with the artists and several curators to bring the exhibits to La Jolla — a feat in itself, he said. “Some of this kind of art has been shown through a few traveling exhibitions or at a handful of galleries in the U.S., but you still really have to go out of your way to find this stuff,” he said. “Unless you happen to end up actually in China or at one of those rare exhibitions, you have almost no way of seeing it.” One reason the artists are starting to experience the increase in publicity is perhaps because of its forbidden nature. Art and culture, Elmore said, weren’t “dead, but they were regulated.” “A few of the artists [we’re showing] were actually jailed for different levels of expression,” he said. “There’s been a semi-open dialogue, but they have had to get the nod from those above about what’s okay.” Since the government has eased up slightly, Elmore said, allowing cultural expression to make its way through and out of the country, there has been a “mad race with anything related to culture in China. Even things like Ming Dynasty vases that were sold off to foreigners are being purchased back en masse.” Still, though, the art is not only in demand because it’s been hard to get. It’s actually good, too. Elmore said Zhonghua’s work combines Chinese writing and symbols with English, and in most of his works, which are relatively large at more than 5 feet tall, make use of uncommon media, like foil, creating an almost ethereal look at times, which Elmore called “amazing.” “Some of this art is so incredible, especially when you think about the fact that for many years, it was illegal,” he said. “As culture changes and as the world changes, there’s an east-meets-west dialogue happening, and to have it happening in La Jolla is just phenomenal.” “The Future of the Future” opens on March 3 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Colosseum Fine Arts, 7946 Ivanhoe Ave., #102. For more information, visit www.colosseumfinearts.com.