Painting, photography and film serve Chen Wei as sources of inspiration and echo in his choice of motifs, compositions, and the coloring and lighting of his works. Current social issues are the focus of his oeuvre. With brutal honesty, he brings our living conditions, dreams, desires, and fears into sharper focus. After careful preparations, and with the help of a select group of assistants, he produces his works on film stages or in his studio. He stages still lifes, empty interiors, or entire deserted strip malls reminiscent, in composition and choice of motifs, of Edward Hopper’s works.
Chen Wei was born in 1980 in the Zhejiang Province in China. He lives and works in Beijing. From March 27th through May 14th, 2016 Chen Wei will exhibit at the JNBY Foundation in Hangzhou, a show curated by Francesco Bonami. In 2015, his photographs were on view in a solo exhibition at the K11 Art Space in Shanghai as well as part of a group exhibition of contemporary Chinese photography at the Museum Folkwang in Essen. In 2014, he exhibited his works at the Australia China Art Foundation in Sidney and participated in the following group exhibitions: Chinese Photography 1911–2014 at the Stravanger Art Museum, Stravanger, Norway; My Generation: Young Chinese Artists at the Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, Florida, and at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg. His works are represented in numerous international collections.
