FENG Feng

Combining Chinese historical references with modern abstract painting and traditional Chinese techniques of brushpainting, Feng Feng is an internationally recognised artist, who also writes poetry. His work seeks to reflect on societal issues, personal struggles, the dramatic evolution of China in recent years, and the place of Chinese tradition in today’s world. Themes of love and eroticism, death and destruction, loneliness and passion can all be found in his works. Painting on canvas or on beautifully carved woodblock plates, Feng Feng uses vibrant colours often found in traditional Chinese paintings, such as red, blue, and gold, to create his delicate and abstract pieces.

Born in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, in 1956, Feng Feng graduated in Architecture from Tianjin University in 1981, and in 2003 from the Postgraduate course in Material Language of Oil Painting of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. He spent the first half of his life first serving in the army during the Cultural Revolution, then followed by studies in science and architecture, a path his family wanted him to take. Despite studying art rather late in his life, Feng Feng had always been passionate about painting, and kept practicing by himself even when he was working as a journalist. The artist has exhibited his work both on his own and in groups in locations such as Shanghai, Cologne, Washington D.C., Miami, Munich, Beijing, Geneva, San Francisco, and Melbourne amongst others.