artnet

Ren Zhenyu (Chinese, 1976)

Timeline

: Ren Zhenyu was born in Tianjin in 1976. He graduated in 1999 from the Oil Painting Department at Tianjin Academy of Fine Art where he is currently working as lecturer. Since the beginning of his career his great talent has been recognized and appreciated by galleries and collectors throughout China. More recently he also has gained fame in Europe, especially through his portrait series of two historical icons: Andy Warhol and Chairman Mao. In this series, Ren plays with colours and China’s most famous image, expressing his own abstract-expressionist interpretation of the Chairman’s face portrayed from different angles. Far from neo-realism, he belongs to the trend of pop-political art and by choosing Mao his subject, Ren attempts not only to celebrate Mao’s image from a contemporary perspective, but he also aims to reconcile some very dolorous and uncomfortable memories. In his work, Ren alludes to the profound political changes that have been taking place in China since Mao’s death (the same year the artist was born) and to the constant need for Chinese artists to connect themselves to the past.

2011: EGG Gallery, SH Contemporary 2011, Shanghai Exhibition Center, Shanghai, China
2010: The Marks: Contemporary Artists, Times Art Museum, Beijing, China
2009: Icon, Olyvia Fine Art, London, England
Beijing Space, SH Contemporary 2009, Shanghai Exhibition Center, Shanghai, China
2008: Ren Zhenyu, Drs Willem Kerseboom Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (solo)
Ren Zhenyu, Joyce Gallery, Hong Kong
Willem Kerseboom Gallery, SCOPE Basel, Switzerland
Another portrait, Willem Kerseboom Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2007: Another Portrait, Gallery Beijing Space, Beijing, China (solo)
Looks Just Beautiful, Joyce Gallery, Hong Kong (solo)
Ju Shata –2007 New Elite Award, Beijing, China
Amsterdam International Gallery Exposition, The Netherlands
China International Gallery Exhibition, Beijing, China
Gathering Sandcastles: Chinese New Generation Artist Award Exhibition, Yan Huang Art Museum, Beijing, China
2006: Exchanging Group Exhibition, China, Japan, France
2005: In The Name of Face, Beijing, China (solo)
Guangzhou Modern Art Fair, Guangzhou, China
2004: 3rd National Oil Painting Exhibition, Beijing, China
2002: New Changes, Young artist nomination, Tianjin, China
1999: 9th National Fine Arts Exhibition