Chen Wei’s mises-en-scène address human existence with all its yearnings, with all its helplessness. Human bodies, whether present or absent in the picture, are represented in their attempt to escape the conditioning to which they are subjected in society. 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, , 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.
