Contemporary art often veers into frustratingly abstract territory, and no medium more so than video installations. Artists tend to focus on building a feeling through pictures, but lack even a rough frame on which to hang the images. Wang Qingsong is the rare artist who easily navigates such obstacles.

In "Three Video Projects," now on display at Pékin Fine Arts, Qingsong explores themes of destruction, construction and the deadening effect repetition has on the senses. The works have short, simple narrative arcs that powerfully drive home his points without being too heavy-handed.

Using time lapse video techniques, Qingsong details the construction of a high-rise in the middle of the countryside, from clearing the land by fire, to the finished product that glows golden in the weak rays of a winter sun. A take on the rapidity of China's urban expansion, the piece is impressive not only for its vision, but the logistics of constructing the bamboo building and filming over what must have been period of weeks.

In another room, we see a large wooden table upon which a man throws down a goat, and begins to chop it to pieces with two large butcher knives. Again, Qingsong plays with time, speeding up the tape so the knives are silver blurs as he hacks the animal into smaller and smaller pieces. By mid-reel the mess looks less like an animal and more like a pile of confetti. Qingsong's manipulation of time and action leaves the viewer uncertain, needing to see the whole picture to form an opinion.

The third and most visually disturbing film shows a man repeatedly struck in the face by a flying fury of fists, a beating so severe his hair is soon ripped out at the roots and his face mangled and bloodied. When it ends, he smiles through teeth stained red, the triumph of someone who refuses to let others tear him down, no matter how hard they hit.

Qingsong's work is visually compelling and forces viewers to ask questions. It's a standout among video works today.

Pékin Fine Arts, through April 12, www.pekinfinearts.com