Chen Wei

BIOGRAPHY
Unlike many of the first generation of Chinese contemporary photographers whose photographs are technically documentation of performances and installations, Chen Wei (b. 1980, in Chinese 陈维) and his contemporaries are giving the voice back to the medium and forging their idiosyncratic languages that are informed and inspired by western masters like Jeff Wall, Cindy Sherman, Gregory Crewdson, etc.

With cinematic settings, Chen Wei’s photos reveal dreamscapes that capture impossible movement in everyday life and residues of histories. Modern and contemporary literatures have served as his reference and inspiration.

Chen has exhibited extensively around the world, including Seoul Museum of Art, Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai, Pingyao International Photography Festival, Poznan Biennale, etc. Commissioned by prestigious fashion and art magazines such as FHM and LEAP, Chen has produces a few projects that bring together conceptual photography and fashion design, featuring products by Bottega Veneta, LV, and Prada, among many others.

Chen Wei was awarded the 1st Asia Pacific Photography Prize at ShContemporary Art Fair, in Shanghai, in 2011. A solo exhibition of his was presented in Yokohama Creative City Center (YCC), in Yokohama, Japan, in October 2011.

Download the complete artist biography.

SELECTED WORKS

CHEN WEI, A Foggy Afternoon, 2011, Archival inkjet print, 150 x 200 cm

CHEN WEI, Mister in the Corner, 2011, Archival inkjet print, 45 x 60 cm

CHEN WEI, Don't Forget to Fasten the Collar Buttons, 2011, Archival inkjet print, 60 x 45 cm

CHEN WEI, Rain in Some Areas, 2011, Archival inkjet print, 150 x 200 cm

CHEN WEI, A Chair and Four 100-watt Bulbs, 2010, Archival inkjet print, 100 x 100 cm

CHEN WEI, Everlasting Radio Wave, 2008, Archival inkjet print, 150 x 150 cm

CHEN WEI, Honey in the Broadcast, 2008, Archival inkjet print, 150 x 150 cm

CHEN WEI, House of Recovery, 2008, Archival inkjet print, 150 x 170 cm

For more works and projects by the artist, download the portfolio in pdf.

RECENT EXHIBITIONS
CHEN WEI: TIGHT ROPE, Yokohama Creativecity Center, 2011 [exhibition view, download in pdf]

SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS), LEO XU PROJECTS, 2011 [exhibition view]

PRESS
Ten Magazine, “Ten Artists to Meet: Chen Wei”, October 2011 [download pdf]
NOT Magazine, “Who is Chen Wei” by Whiterabbit, October 2011 [download pdf]
Modern Weekly, Annual Book, “Rising Culture: Abstract Speed”, p154-155, December 2011 [download pdf]
Modern Weekly, A Plus: special art supplement, cover, December 2011 [download pdf]
Le Monde diplomatique, Illustration, April 2012 [download pdf]

 

 

Published on December 24, 2011 5:06 am.
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fair | ART BASEL HONG KONG 2013

May 23th through 26th, 2013
Hall 1, Booth C56. Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center
1 Harbour Rd, Hong Kong

For its participation in the first edition of Art Basel Hong Kong, LEO XU PROJECTS premieres a new photography-based project by Beijing-based young artist Chen Wei.

This new project includes an ongoing series of photographs Chen Wei initiated three years ago on a research in the youth cultures—that related to the music and life-style in particular—in Mainland China.

Continuing his exploration in possibilities of photography by breathing in elements from other disciplines as theatre, cinema, still-life painting, etc, Chen Wei has been producing a new body of works that is set primarily in club dance-floor and locations of parties—places and activities have barely been the subjects of Contemporary Chinese art. Starting with photographing an unlikely moment or some theatrically charged occasions in such cultures, Chen has been furthering his study and work to reveal the internal world of young Chinese who grow through the post-89 decades, say, the 1990s and early 2000, and who lived upon the imported and pirate cultural products as their resource of art and recreation, for instance, pirate music cassettes, CDs, DVDs, illegally translated literature and art publications.
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Published on May 20, 2013 10:02 am.
Filed under: 2- upcoming, 5- misc, 6-art fairs

fair | FRIEZE NEW YORK 2013


Frieze New York
Randall’s Island, Manhattan
Booth B28

May 10th through 13th, 2013
Professional view May 9th, 2-9pm
 
LEO XU PROJECTS is proud to announce our participation in Frieze New York at Randall’s Island, running from May 10th through 13th, 2013. At booth B28, we will be presenting Beijing-based artist Liu Chuang’ssolo show. It features a selection of his recent works that explore the cultures of the Shenzhen and Guangdong region that are shaped by a large population of migrant workers.

LIU CHUANG, "Buying Everything On You", 2006-present, found objects, dimension variable

Liu Chuang’s work integrates social intervention with institutional critique to examine China’s immediate realities, particularly the Shanzhai—the phenomenon of piracy and plagiarism in mass manufacturing and culture. Working across disciplines from video, installation, architecture to performance, Liu uses banal ready-mades and intervention techniques with a subtle, wry sensibility and an awareness of absurdity.
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Published on May 5, 2013 12:35 pm.
Filed under: 2- upcoming, 5- misc, 6-art fairs

current | GUO HONGWEI: EDITING

GUO HONGWE, "Untitled (Perfect Lovers), 1991", 2013, Collage on paper, 44 x 63.4 cm

April 25th through June 2nd, 2013

Published on April 16, 2013 8:48 pm.
Filed under: 1- current

past | SHANGHAI SURPRISE

Dates: March 1st through April 10th, 2013

Venue: chi K11 Art Space, B3, K11 Art Mall
300 Huahai Zhong Road, by Huangpi Nan Road

Artists: Aaajiao (Xu Wenkai), Birdhead, Chen Wei, Cheng Ran, Ding Yi, Gao Mingyan, Gabriel Lester, Liang Yue, Liao Fei, MadeIn Company, Michael Lin, Liu Jianhua, MadeIn Company, Qiu Anxiong, Shi Yong, Song Tao, Xiao Jiang, Xu Zhen, Yang Fudong, Yang Zhenzhong, Zhang Enli, Zhou Tiehai

‘Shanghai Surprise’ is a 1986 British adventure comedy film directed by Jim Goddard, starring Sean Penn and Madonna, that is set in 1937 Shanghai during the Japanese occupation. Although the film was a notorious “box-office bomb” and “critical flop,” it nevertheless was able to retain a remote sense of glamour among the wider public. The title has been hailed as an inspiration and is often quoted by writers and artists when portraying Shanghai.

‘Shanghai Surprise’ is a project curated by Shanghai-based Leo Xu and Azure Wu who have experienced the city’s metamorphosis from 2000 to present. During this period both Leo Xu and Azure Wu worked as curators in local museums and more recently have held positions such as curator, art dealer, writer and editor. Inspired by the film’s title, this eponymous project is envisioned as a time and space capsule as opposed to an encyclopedic gesture. Its development is based on minute notes from the curatorial sketchbooks of Xu and Wu, which represent the forgotten and unforgettable moments in Shanghai’s contemporary art sphere that continually produces new ideas and surprises.

‘Shanghai Surprise’ comprises of two parts: a group exhibition featuring works by defining artists, young Chinese and expat authors who possess strong ties to Shanghai-geographically or culturally; and a mobile library that captures Shanghai’s transforming cultural landscape.

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Published on March 6, 2013 7:04 pm.
Filed under: 3- past, 4- offsite

news | MICHAEL LIN & CHENG RAN IN AUCKLAND TRIENNIAL

MICHAEL LIN, "Model Home", 2012

May 10th until August 11th, 2013

Curated by Hou Hanru, The 5th Auckland Triennial is titled “If you were to live here…” which offers a way artists and creative participants can inhabit and transform social spaces by producing innovative ideas, projects and works. The 5th Auckland Triennial will provide opportunities to connect with different communities, as well as collaborations among various partners in and out of the city. It will invite discussion, debate and the exchange of ideas.

For further information, please visit: http://aucklandtriennial.com/.

Published on March 5, 2013 6:53 am.
Filed under: 5- misc

news | CHENG RAN IN EUROPEAN MEDIA ART FESTIVAL OSNABRUECK

April 24th through May 26th, 2013

The 26th EMAF presents media as art, cult media, media for reflection and media with a fun factor.

In its programme comprising short and feature-length films, documentaries, exhibitions, performances and lectures, EMAF introduces well-known stars such as Californian artist Kerry Laitala, filmmaker Harun Farocki, and documenta 13 participant Omer Fast, in addition to young talented artists from various universities and academies.

More than 180 new films, installations and artistic projects selected from over 2,400 entries will be presented at the festival.

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Published on March 5, 2013 4:53 am.
Filed under: 1- current, 4- offsite, 5- misc

news | CHENG RAN IN KINO DER KUNST

From April 24th to 28th, 2013, KINO DER KUNST, the first event of its kind worldwide, presents films by visual artists who push boundaries of cinema and explore new narrative forms.

KINO DER KUNST is an exhibition and a film festival in one, which showcases today’s trends in art and provides an international meeting point for artists, curators and the public. Spread across various locations, such as the University of Television and Film Munich (HFF), the Pinakothek der Moderne / Schaustelle, the Museum Brandhorst in the Kunstareal and beyond that the ARRI cinema, the Academy of Fine Arts, the Kunstverein Munich, the MaximliansForum and the Goetz Collection, it will feature a competition with generous prizes, a retrospective program of feature-length films by artists ranging from Rebecca Horn and Eija-Liisa Ahtila to Steve McQueen or Julian Schnabel, a wide range of works from specific geographical regions and a number of museum-based multi-channel installations, all aimed at examining the current relationship between cinema and art.

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Published on March 4, 2013 6:23 pm.
Filed under: 3- past, 4- offsite, 5- misc

news | HE AN IN 2013 CARNEGIE INTERNATIONAL

October 5th, 2013 through March 16th, 2014
Carnegie Museum of Art
4400 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA

A commissioned new work and a selection of previous installations by Beijing-based He An will be on view in 2013 Carnegie International that runs from October 5th, 2013 through March 16th, 2014, with an opening celebration on Friday October 4.

Inaugurated in 1896, the Carnegie International is the longest-running international survey of contemporary art at any museum. The upcoming edition will feature Ei Arakawa/Henning Bohl, Phyllida Barlow, Yael Bartana, Sadie Benning, Bidoun Library, The Collection, Nicole Eisenman, Lara Favaretto, Vincent Fecteau, Rodney Graham, Guo Fengyi, Wade Guyton, Rokni Haerizadeh, He An, Amar Kanwar, Dinh Q. Lê, Mark Leckey, Pierre Leguillon, Sarah Lucas, Tobias Madison, Zanele Muholi, Paulina Olowska, The Playground Project, Pedro Reyes, Kamran Shirdel, Gabriel Sierra, Taryn Simon, Frances Stark, Joel Sternfeld, Mladen Stilinović, Zoe Strauss, Henry Taylor, Tezuka Architects, Transformazium, Erika Verzutti, and Joseph Yoakum.

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Published on March 4, 2013 6:05 pm.
Filed under: 5- misc

news | GABRIEL LESTER IN SHARJAH BIENNIAL 11


March 13th through May 13th, 2013
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

LEO XU PROJECTS is pleased to announce that Gabriel Lester will be presenting a commssioned new work in Sharjah Biennial 11 titled ‘Re:emerge, Towards a New Cultural Cartography’.

Curator Yuko Hasegawa proposes a Biennial that reassess the Westerncentrism of knowledge in modern times and reconsiders the relationship between the Arab world, Asia, the Far East, through North Africa and Latin America.

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Published on March 4, 2013 5:45 pm.
Filed under: 1- current, 5- misc

news | MICHAEL LIN IN 2013 CALIFORNIA-PACIFIC TRIENNIAL


June 30th through November 17th, 2013
The Orange County Museum of Art
850 San Clemente Drive in Newport Beach, California

Formerly known as the California Biennial, The Orange County Museum of Art has re-envisioned this important survey of contemporary California art and will re-launch it as the California-Pacific Triennial in 2013 with participating artists representing a cross-section of countries from throughout the Pacific rim.

2013 California-Pacific Triennial is organized by the Orange County Museum of Art and curated by Chief Curator Dan Cameron.

Michael Lin will be presenting a new body of site-specific installations in the Triennial. For further information on the artist and project please contact info@leoxuprojects.com .

To learn more about the Triennial, please visit the official website.

 

Published on March 4, 2013 10:03 am.
Filed under: 4- offsite, 5- misc