Chen Wenling is a sculptor who was born in 1969, in Anxi, a tiny village in the Fujian Province of China. His family was poor and could not afford to buy him new toys, so he used clay that was readily available in his surroundings to make small sculptures to play with. From these humble sculpting beginnings came the desire to study art as a profession. He decided to attend the Xiamen Academy of Art and Design, and he graduated in 1991. Not content yet with his education, he studied sculpture at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, graduating in 1994.
While receiving his education, he said the works of Auguste Rodin, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte, and Fernando Botero were his inspiration. He combined the influence of these artists with aspects of the Realism movement to make works of art that would become controversial. His sculpture entitled Statue of Liberty and the Gold Bull featured the iconic United States monument with a book that had Liberal Economics instead of July 4, 1776 inscribed on it. He was trying to make a political point that the liberal United States economy was at fault for the 2008 financial crisis, which affected the global economy as well. He made many more political statements with his art, such as those in Happy Life. This series featured sculptures of humans and pigs performing daily tasks. He used pigs because they symbolize what he sees to be the gluttony and unbridled thirst for material objects in modern society. The pigs wear human clothes and perform human actions, while the humans have the traits of pigs.
Chen’s sculptures have been displayed in several places, including the solo exhibit Searching for Identity at Contemporary By Angela Li in Hong Kong and another at the Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art in Shanghai. Group shows that the artist has participated in include Beyond Reality at Beyond Art Space in Beijing, My Chinese Friends at Galleri Susanne Ottesen in Copenhagen, and Under the Radar: Chinese Contemporary Art at the Robischon Gallery in Denver, CO, among others.
The artist currently lives and works in both Xiamen and Beijing.
| Year | Name of the exhibition | Museum/Gallery | Solo/Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | ART Beijing | Agricultural Exhibition Center, China | group |
| 2014 | The First China Czech Contemporary Art Exhibition | Czech china Contemporary Art Museum, China | group |
| 2014 | Quanzhou Contempoary Art Exhibition | Quanzhou, China | group |
| 2013 | Unknown | 55th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy | group |
| 2013 | Sculpture by the Sea | Aarhus, Denmark | group |
| 2013 | Experiments in Chinese Contemporary Art,First Round, Conformation and Consciousness | Today Art Museum, Beijing, China | group |
| 2013 | Taipei Art International Fair | First Exhibit Hall ofTaipei World Trade Center,Taipei, Republic of China | group |
| 2013 | Re-history Chinese Contemporary Art Invitational Exhibition | Shenzhen, Guangzhou Province, China | group |
| 2012 | Exotic Landscapes – Chen Wenling's New Work | PIN Gallery Beijing, China | solo |
| 2012 | China Scene | Marina Bay Sands Conference Center, Singapore | solo |
| 2012 | Future Pass World Exhibition | Today Art Museum, Beijing, China | group |
| 2012 | Looking Awry Exhibition | Iberia Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China | group |
| 2012 | Environment – Spirit Western China International Art Biennale | Yinchuan Cultural Art Center and Tian Ye Art Museum, Yinchuan, Ningxia Province, China | group |
| 2012 | Melbourne Art Fair, | Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, Australia | group |
| 2012 | First Xinjiang Contemporary Art Biennale | Xinjiang International Expo Center, Urumqi, Uyghur Autonomous Region, China | group |
| 2012 | Naturalmente – Biennale Italia Cina – First Eidion | Monza Royal Manor, Italy | group |
| 2012 | Chinese Contemporary Public Art Exhibition | Kassel, Germany | group |
| 2012 | Iksan International Stone Culture Project | Iksan, South Korea | group |
| 2012 | First ChonjuGlobalBiennale | Chonju, South Korea | group |
| 2012 | CAFASculptureCreation Review Exhibition | CAFA Art Museum, Beijing, China | group |
| 2011 | Start From the Horizon – Chinese Contemporary Sculpture Since 1978 | Sishang Art Museum, Beijing, China | group |
| 2011 | Returning --- LAC Mobile Museum Open Exhibition | Shanghu Mobile Museum, Beijing, China | group |
| 2011 | Transcending History II – Contemporary Art Invitational Exhibition | G-Dot Art Space, Beijing, China | group |
| 2011 | China: the Art of a Nation, Outdoor Exhibition: Landscape in Mind | The Kennedy Center, Washington District of Columbia, U.S.A. | group |
| 2011 | Korea International Art Exhibition | Galerie Forsblom Gallery, Seoul, South Korea | group |
| 2011 | Bondi Sculpture by the Sea | Sydney, Australia | group |
| 2011 | Satori – Datong International Sculpture Biennale | Heyang Art Museum, Shanxi Province, China | group |
| 2011 | Remaking of Civilization – Chinese Contemporary Sculptures | Macau Cultural Bureau, Macau, China | group |
| 2011 | Fabricator | Soka Art Gallery, Beijing, China | group |
| 2011 | Sculpture by the Sea | Aarhus,Denmark and Australia | group |
| 2011 | Self Camera —— Exterior of the Modern | Changwon Asia Art Festival, Sungsan Art Hall, Changwon, South Korea | group |
| 2011 | 7th Sculpture by the Sea | Perth, Australia | group |
| 2010 | The Suspense | Today’s Art Museum, Beijing, China | solo |
| 2010 | What You See Is Real | Odetoart, Singapore | solo |
| 2010 | Living in Evolution | Busan Biennale, Busan Cultural Center, Busan, South Korea | group |
| 2010 | Now. Asian Artists | Busan Biennale Special Exhibition, Busan, Korea | group |
| 2010 | Trace and Qualitative Leap | Beijing Film Academy 4D Space Museum, Beijing, China | group |
| 2010 | Negotiations | Today’s Document Exhibition, Today’s Museum, Beijing, China | group |
| 2010 | Expo 2010 Jing’An International Sculpture Exhibition | Jing’An Sculpture Park, Shanghai, China | group |
| 2010 | The TAO of Now | The White Rabbit Gallery, Sydney, Australia | group |
| 2010 | Art-Writers, Nanjing Contemporary Double Exhibition | JiangSu Provincial Art Museum, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China | group |
| 2010 | Attitude | Linda Art Center, Indonesia | group |
| 2010 | Reshaping History | China National Convention Center, Beijing, China | group |
| 2009 | Emergency Exit | JoyArt, Beijing, China | solo |
| 2009 | Visual Attack Animation Force – Animamix Taipei Biennale | Taipei MoCA, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China | group |
| 2009 | China Narrative – Fourth Chengdu Biennale | Chengdu Contemporary Art Museum, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China | group |
| 2009 | A Conversation with Chicago Contemporary Sculpture from China | Millennium Park, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. | group |
| 2009 | The Very Condition – Twelve Artists of Chinese Contemporary Art | Wall Art Museum, Beijing, China | group |
| 2009 | Main Exhibition of the Miami Art Basel International Art Fair | Miami, Florida, U.S.A | group |
| 2008 | God of Materialism | Asia Art Center, Beijing, China | solo |
| 2008 | Third International Biennial of Contemporary Art | Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo, Seville, Spain | group |
| 2008 | The Third Nanjing Triennial - Reflective Asia | Nanjing Museum, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China | group |
| 2008 | Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair – Surprised Discoveries | Shanghai Exhibition Center, Shanghai, China | group |
| 2008 | Busan Biennale - Expenditure | Busan Museum of Modern Art, Busan, South Korea | group |
| 2008 | China… Forward. | TsUM (Central University Department Store), Moscow, Russia | group |
| 2008 | International Sculpture and Installation Exhibition | Lido Island, Venice, Italy | group |
| 2008 | Art of the Pig – How to Represent the Pig Through Art | Hakodate Museum of Art, Hokkaido, Japan | group |
| 2008 | Let’s Consume | Cheng Xindong Space For Contemporary Art III, Beijing, China | group |
| 2008 | China - Facing Reality | National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China | group |
| 2008 | Beijing–Athens, Contemporary Art From China | Technopolis of the City of Athens, Athens, Greece | group |
| 2008 | China Blue | Katrinetorps Gard, Malmo, Sweden | group |
| 2007 | Metamorphose | Makii Masaru Fine Arts, Japan | solo |
| 2007 | 1999-2006”-Chen Wenling solo exhibition | Vanessa Art Link, Jakarta, Indonesia | solo |
| 2007 | Post Avant-Garde Chinese Contemporary Art: Four Directions of the New Era | Hong Kong, China | group |
| 2007 | Energy - Spirit - Body - Material | Today’s Museum, Beijing, China | group |
| 2007 | Truth Beyond the Real – 14 Chinese Artists’ Exploration on Realist Forms and Variations | Doosan Art Center, Seoul, South Korea | group |
| 2007 | Floating - New Contemporary Ar | The National Art Museum of Korea, Seoul, South Korea | group |
| 2007 | Red Hot - Asian Art Today | The Museum of Fine Art, Houston, Texas, U.S.A | group |
| 2007 | China- Facing Reality | Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, Vienna, Austria | group |
| 2007 | Thermocline of Art | New Asian Waves, ZKM Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe, Germany | group |
| 2007 | Top 10 Chinese Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition | Asia Art Center, Beijing, China | group |
| 2007 | Chinese Whispers | Osage Kwun Tong, Hong Kong, China | group |
| 2006 | Chen Wenling’s Sculpture Solo Exhibition | Duolun Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai, China | solo |
| 2006 | Beneath Above | BANG-Beijing Art Now Gallery, Beijing, China | solo |
| 2006 | Chinese Contemporary Art Document Exhibition | The China Millennium Monument, Beijing, China | group |
| 2006 | The Second Chinese Art Today Exhibition | NAMOC, Beijing, China | group |
| 2006 | Hyper Design | Shanghai Biennale, Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai, China | group |
| 2006 | Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition | Robischon Gallery, Denver, Colorado, U.S.A. | group |
| 2006 | Beyond Experience-New China | Contemporary Art Exhibition, Arario Gallery, Beijing, China | group |
| 2006 | 37th Art Exposition in Basel, Switzerland | Basel, Switzerland | group |
| 2006 | In the Name of Objects, Exhibition of Contemporary Art Sculpture | HSS Art Centre, Shanghai, China | group |
| 2006 | Made in China | Vecchiato Art Gallery, Padova, Italy | group |
| 2005 | Grounding Reality | Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition, Seoul, South Korea | group |
| 2005 | Second China Art Triennial | Nanjing Art Museum, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China | group |
| 2005 | Sculpture Century | Shanghai City Exhibition, Shanghai, China | group |
| 2005 | No Boundary | China Contemporary Art Exhibition, Beijing, China | group |
| 2004 | Happy Life | Chinese European Art Centre, Macau, China | solo |
| 2004 | Expressions of State | Macau Contemporary Art Show, Fujian Province, China | group |
| 2004 | China-Belgium Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition | Antwerp, Belgium | group |
| 2003 | Chinese Sculpture Masterpieces Exhibition of the Beijing international Biennale | Beijing, China | group |
| 2003 | Sea and Music | International Sculpture Exhibition, Macau, China | group |
| 2003 | The Northeast Annual Exhibition of the Works of Sculpture | Changchun, China | group |
| 2003 | Seaworthy Ship – Port of Macau | Modern Art Exhibition, Macau, China | group |
| 2002 | Red Memory | Pearl Bay Beach, Macau, China | solo |
| 2002 | First China Art Triennial | Guangzhou Art Museum, Guangdong Province, China | group |
| 2001 | Sculpture Show, Shanghai Young Artists Exhibition | Normal University of Shanghai, China | group |
| 1999 | Ninth National Art Exhibition | National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China | group |
| 1997 | The First Chinese Sophora Cup, Environmental Sculpture Exhibition | China | group |
| 1991 | Chen Wenling’s Woodcarving Exhibition | Macau Art and Craft Academy, Macau, China | solo |
| 1991 | Chen Wenling’s Woodcarving Exhibition | Macau College of Art, Macau, China | group |
