Feng Yan
Born in 1963, Feng Yan is one of the most renowned photography artists in China. He graduated from Beijing Film Academy in 1989 and lived in New York for many years. He now splits his time between Beijing and Taipei.
Feng Yan chose photography as his main medium because its inherent objectivity resonates with his rational personality. Through various series, he has developed a powerful ability to engage such fields as minimalism, abstraction, materialism, objectivism, tradition and authority in dialogue. Feng Yan’s conceptual pictures appeared unexpectedly while photography was far less concerned in the Chinese contemporary art world, and his work has had a persistent cultural influence across multiple fields.
He has held solo exhibitions in Beijing and Germany, and has taken part in group exhibitions in such places as the White Rabbit Museum (Sydney), MAKK Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln, BMW Foundation (Berlin) and Power Station of Art (Shanghai). His work has been collected by many museums and institutions worldwide.
Before becoming a photographer, he was a writer. His written works include the novels Zhongnan Mountain, Wild Goose Pagoda and The Sound of a Chair Snapping Back.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
- 2020 | Feng Yan, Tang Contemporary Art, Hong Kong
- 2020 | The Stones of Other Hills, Suzhou Museum
- 2016 | Feng Yan 2005–2016, Three on the Bund, Shanghai Gallery of Art
- 2015 | Restless Landscape, Mebo Space, Beijing
- 2015 | The Persistence of Images, Redtory Museum of Contemporary Art, Guangzhou
- 2013 | Three Shadows Photography Centre, Beijing
- 2012 | Monument, WiE Kultur, Berlin, Germany
- 2011 | Feng Yan Photographs, Matthias Kueper Galleries, Stuttgart, Germany
- 2007 | The Power Series, Courtyard Gallery, Beijing
- 2006 | The Rockery Series, Courtyard Gallery, Beijing
- 2005 | The Orders Series, Hanmo Arts Gallery, Beijing
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
- 2025 | Ui Art Museum, Open Windows, Suzhou, curated by Simon Baker (Tate, London)
- 2019 | HOW Art Museum, Pantone, Shanghai
- 2019 | White Rabbit Museum, Sydney, Australia
- 2017 | PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai
- 2017 | Art West Bund & Design, Shanghai
- 2016 | Monash Gallery of Art, From Grain to Pixel, Australia
- 2016 | JIMEI × ARLES, East–West Encounters International Photo Festival
- 2016 | Art West Bund & Design, Shanghai
- 2015 | 10th Contemporary Istanbul, Turkey
- 2015 | JIMEI × ARLES, East–West Encounters International Photo Festival
- 2015 | Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam, We May Have Met Before
- 2015 | Shanghai Gallery of Art, Before It All Starts
- 2015 | Poly Gallery, Hong Kong, Re-Exposure
- 2014 | Paris Photo
- 2014 | BMW Foundation, Berlin
- 2014 | Photo Shanghai
- 2014 | Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai
- 2014 | Power Station of Art, Shanghai
- 2013 | The Revival of Tradition, TÜYAP, Istanbul, Turkey
- 2012 | Bottega Veneta, Shanghai Yifeng Galleria Store Art Gallery
- 2012 | MAKK Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln
- 2012 | UQ Art Museum, Brisbane, Australia
- 2012 | Art Stage Singapore
- 2012 | Wolfson Gallery, London, UK
- 2011 | SH Contemporary 2011
- 2010 | White Rabbit Museum, Sydney, Australia
- 2006 | Art Beijing