Today's young Chinese contemporary artists are enjoying exciting opportunities from their art education (both abroad and at home)  to focusing less on the socio-political themes and instead are finding inspiration on the Westernized social /digital environment and its impact on their culture's deeply rooted traditional values. 

With the advantage of a more open policy towards the rest of the world than their 35+ predecessors,  these younger artists are inspired by International art world processes. The scene is still at the early stages of its development but is rapidly growing with audiences and collectors around the globe intrigued by the fresh energy that has emerged with artists such as Chen Fei. 

CHEN FEI  ( *1983 Hongtong, Shanxi, China) was originally trained at the Beijing Film Academy but faced countless limitations of the industry so he ended up choosing painting as the media to express his creativity. He treats his paintings like he would a film, ( known mostly for his super flat technique) and continues to challenge his audience with the concept of good and bad " taste" in the aesthetic as well as moral sense.

In many interviews, Chen has said " I like to paint bad taste" and believes that the " not so pretty things" leave a much longer lasting impression than beauty ever would.  He also says what impresses him most are the rogues and not the upstanding citizens. Clearly with this in mind, his art is bound to stir emotions from feeling disturbed to intrigued by the narrative of the characters in his works. 

Chen Fei also believes that the definition of good art includes the value placed on a work in the market.

"A good artist is valid by two aspects, the academic value and the market. Only when these two factors are both considered can we decide whether an artwork is good or bad." 

About the Artist

Chen Fei currently lives and works in Beijing. The artist’s recent exhibitions include the solo exhibition 2016 The Day is Yet Long, Galerie Urs Meile, Lucerne, Switzerland /The Day is Yet Long, Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing, China 2014, Fleash and me, Gallerie Perrotin, Hong Kong, China Flesh and Me (2014) at Galerie Perrotin’s Hong Kong space.

Group exhibitions include: Painting as Strait Gate: Post-80s Artists Invitation Exhibition, Hive Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China Living in Figures – Izumi KATO x CHEN Fei, Nizayama Art Park Power Plant Museum, Toyama Prefecture, Japan New Capital Huang Yu Collection Exhibition (2007-2016), Museum of Contemporary Art Chengdu, Chengdu, China 2015 The Civil Power-Beijing Minsheng Art Museum Opening Exhibition, Beijing Minsheng Art Museum, Beijing, China A New Dynasty - Created in China, ARoS Aarhus Art Museum,  A New Dynasty—Created in China, ARoS Aarhus Art Museum, Aarhus, Denmark (2015); 1199 People, Long Museum, Shanghai, China (2014) as well as 1st CAFAM Future Exhibition, China Central Academy of Fine Arts Museum (2012).

In 2012, he received the Martell Art Fund’s ‘Focus on Talents Project’ award.