Chen Wenling (b.1969, Fujian, China) is one of the most globally acclaimed contemporary sculptors. He has achieved international fame from the late 1990s with his characteristic ‘Red Memory’ series of sculptures featuring laughing, naked boy figures covered in shiny, bright red vehicle duco.
Chen was trained at the Sculpture Department, Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing. Chen’s works have been selected for Sculpture by the Sea multiple times in both Cottesloe and Bondi Beach in Australia. His works are in the permanent public collections of National Art Museum of China; Houston Museum of Fine Arts, USA; Denver Art Museum, USA; White Rabbit Collection, Australia; ARoS Aarhus Art Museum, Denmark; National Gallery of Korea, Korea; Seoul Museum of Art, Korea, etc.
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CV
| 1969 | Born in Anxi, China |
| 1993 | MFA, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China. |
| Present | Lives and works in Beijing |
| 2022 | Surreal Sculptures, Osthaus-Museum, Hagen, Germany |
| 2021 |
Allegory – The Storytelling of Chen Wenling, Sunzen Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada |
| 2019 | Fabel of Duration – Chen Wenling’s solo exhibition, Minsheng Art Museum, Beijng, China |
| 2018 | LIMITED&UNLIMITED Contemporary Works Of Chen Wenling, Xiamen, China |
| “SUPERNORMAL” Works of Chen Wenling, Shanghai, China | |
| 2017 | Graces of My Heart, Chen Wenling Solo Exhibition, Whitebox Art Center, Beijing, China |
| Another Realm, Chen Wenling Solo Exhibition, Zhong Gallery, Beijing, China | |
| 2016 | Everything is awesome, Large outdoor Exhibition, Shunyi international flower garden, Beijing, China |
| 2014 | The Community, Chen Wenling’s New Works, Pyo Gallery, Seoul, Korea |
| 2012 | Exotic Landscapes, Chen Wenling’s New Works, PIN Gallery, Beijing, China |
| 2011 | Searching for Identity, Chen Wenling Solo Exhibition, Contemporary by Angela Li, Hong Kong, China |
| 2010 | The Suspense, Sculptures By Chen Wenling, Today’s Art Museum, Beijing, China |
| 2009 | Emergency Exit, Sculptures By Chen Wenling, JoyAr, Beijing, China |
| 2006 | Chen Wenling’s Sculpture Solo Exhibition, Duolun Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai, China |
| 2002 | Red Memory, the First Time Sculpture Show by Chen Wenling, Pearl Bay Beach, Macau, China |
| 2021 | Vancouver Biennale 2021 BIKEnnale/WALKennale, Vancouver, Canada |
| 2020 | 2020 Harmo Power – The First International Biennale of Jinan, Jinan, China |
| 2019 | Reactor: An Exhibition of Rongyi International Art, Jingnan Art Museum, Baoding, China |
| “Art for the People” – Wulong Lanba Art Festival 2019, Wulong Lanba, Chongqing, China | |
| “Beijing Flash Biennale” – The Evolution of Beijing’s Art Districts & Studios, Nine Art Museum, Beijing, China | |
| 2018 | Splendors of the sun and moon – China Contemporary Art Exhibition, Fondazione Querini Stampalia, Venice, Italy |
| Open Source: Shenzhen Bennale, 2018, Luohu Art Museum, Shenzhen, China | |
| 2017 | Bienal de Curitiba“VIBRATIONS, Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition, Museu Oscar Niemeyer, Curitiba, Brazil |
| 2016 | Pulse Miami Beach Contemporary Art Fair, Miami, America Changwon sculpture biennale, Changwon, Korea |
| Walking Brics Project of Brazil, Sao Paolo, Brazil | |
| China International Gallery Exposition, Beijing, China Art Beijing Exposition, Beijing, China | |
| 2015 | Rhythmic Vitality – Chinese Contemporary Art Invitation Exhibition, Anxi wen Temple, China |
| The Silk Road – 2015 Chinese Art Communication Exhibition, Academy of Fine Arts, Helwan University, Egypt; Museum of Modern & Contemporary, Carrara, Italy | |
| Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, Australia | |
| Dimension of Civilization, Contemporary Art Exhibition, Museum of Contemporary, Yinchuan, China | |
| Shape for the age, Contemporary Sculpture Collection Exhibition, Museum of Hubei Province, China | |
| Huasheng, China contemporary Art Exhibition, City of Mons, Belgium | |
| China 8, China Contemporary Art Exhibition, Ruhr, Germany | |
| The 11th Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe Beach, Australia | |
| Happy Spring Festival·Art China, Lincoln Center, New York, U.S.A | |
| Vision of Multi-dimentional, First Exhibition of Antnest Art Museum, Fujian, China | |
| 2014 | Re-Sculpture, Sanguandian Art 2014, Hubei, China |
| Fujianese Contemporary Art Exhibition, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | |
| Art Taipei 2014, Taipei, China | |
| The 10th China International Gallery Exposition, Beijing, China | |
| As Above So Below: Exhibition of Contemporary Ink Art, | |
| The Fringe Club, Hong Kong, China | |
| Amusement Park, 798 Public Art Invitation Exhibition, Beijing, China | |
| The Art Love Life Exhibition, Today 22 Art Space Opening, Beijing, China | |
| Nanjing International Art Festiva, Nanjing, China | |
| Korea International Art Fair, Seoul, Korea | |
| Maritime Quanzhou, Dynamic City, Paris, France | |
| Biennale Italia Cina-2nd Edison, Beijing, China | |
| ART Beijing, Beijing, China | |
| 2013 | 55th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy |
| Inter-vision, A Contemporary Exhibition Across the Strait, Taiwan, China | |
| Sculpture by the Sea, Aarhus, Denmark | |
| A New Atmosphere of Chinese Contemporary Art , The Czech Republic Castle | |
| Museum, Czech Republic | |
| Sculpture by the Sea Bondi, Sydney, Australia | |
| Of Human Conditions-Group Exhibition, Hong Kong | |
| Ideology and Manifestation, Today’s Art Museum, China | |
| 3th Art Stage Singapore 2014, Sands Expo and Convention Center, Singapore | |
| Chinese Contemporary Public Sculpture Exhibition, Beijing Parkview Green, China | |
| 2th Datong International Sculpture Biennial, Datong, China | |
| Art Sanya Chinese Contemporary Art, Sanya, China | |
| 2012 | Re-history Chinese Contemporary Art Invitational Exhibition, itinerant exhibition in |
| four cities: Shenzhen, Guangzhou Province; Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, Beijing and | |
| Wuhan, Hubei Province, China | |
| Looking Awry Exhibition, Iberia Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China | |
| Chinese Contemporary Public Art Exhibition, Kassel, German Environment, Spirit | |
| Western China International Art Biennale, Yinchuan Cultural Art Center, Yinchuan, | |
| China | |
| 2011 | 7th Sculpture by the Sea, Perth, Australia |
| Self Camera: Exterior of the Modern, Changwon Asia Art Festival, Sungsan Art | |
| Hall, Changwon, South Korea | |
| 2010 | Living in Evolution, Busan Biennale, Busan Cultural Center, Busan, South Korea |
| The TAO of Now, The White Rabbit Gallery, Sydney, Australia | |
| 2009 | A Conversation with Chicago, Contemporary Sculpture from China, Millennium |
| Park, Chicago Illinois, U.S.A. | |
| 2008 | Third International Biennial of Contemporary Art, Centro Andaluz de Arte |
| Contemporáneo, Seville Spain | |
| Busan Biennale – Expenditure, Busan Museum of Modern Art, Busan, South Korea | |
| 2007 | Red Hot, Asian Art Today, The Museum of Fine Art, Houston, Texas, U.S.A. |
| 2006 | Hyper Design, Shanghai Biennale, Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai, China |
| 2015 | Received honorary title “2015 China-Australia Art Ambassador”, China |
| 2012 | 7th AAC “Art China annual impact ten sculptor, China |
| 2011 | Most Popular Award, International Sculpture Exhibition, Aarhus City, Denmark |
| Public Art Prize, the 7th of the Sculpture by the Sea, Perth, Australia | |
| 2010 | “Bao Xi Niao” Art Prize, Alternative Space, China |
| Selected by “Art Value” magazine into the 2010 Art Power 100 of China, China | |
| 2008 | Youth May 4th Outstanding Contribution in Art Award, “Contemporary Art” Magazine |
| 2004 | Excellence Award, National Fine Arts Exhibition, China |
| 2003 | Most Popular Work Award, China Sculpture Special Exhibition – Beijing Biennale, China |
Denver Art Museum
Houston Museum of Fine Arts
ARoS Aarhus Art Museum
The White Rabbit Collection
Melbourne Museum
Western Australian Museum
National Gallery of Korea
Seoul Museum of Art
Doosan Art Center, Seoul
National Art Museum of China
Beijing Today Art Museum
Guangdong Museum
Fujian Normal University
Nanjing University
Fujian Museum
Hubei Museum of Art
Jimei University
Huizhou Sculpture Park
China Contemporary Art Museum in Datong
China Charity Museum
Yinchuan Contemporary Art Museum
Huayu Resort & Spa Yalong Bay Sanya
Taichung Sculpture Park
Wuhan United Art Museum
Parkview Green’s Art Center
Sichuan Fine Arts Institute
South Lake Park of Xiamen
Xi’an Yitian Square
Beavallon Hotel of France
