Hebei, China, b. 1965

Yan Lei (b. 1965, Hebei, China) graduated from the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (now known as the China Academy of Art) in Hangzhou in 1991. Yan is a singular and unconventional figure in the Chinese contemporary art world. Adopting an independent and distant attitude, he explores and unveils different issues, such as power relationships, competition or the closeness of values and prices that exist in the art system through various media including painting, sculpture, installation, video, and performance. His works often incorporate multiple and contradictory values. This ambiguousness shows, on the one hand, the artist’s alertness to and reflection on the various problems in art making today and, on the other hand, the solitude that he feels from being part of the system and his complex feelings confronted with vulgar reality.