Exhibition Information
The 15th Florence International Biennale of Contemporary Art and Design
The Sublime Essence of Light and Darkness
【China Section】
Exhibition Dates: October 18-26, 2025
Curator: Zhang Siyong
Exhibition Director: Zhang Chengsen
Exhibition Coordinators: Tao Tao, Li Qingxia
Exhibition Organizer: Beijing Millennium Time Gallery
Artists
Chao Ge (Invited)
Zhong Biao
Jiang Miao
Ye Yuxuan
Li Kaishu (Surayeva Natallia)
Yang Zifan
Cao Xileng
Huang Shan
Han Yunze
Wang Kuanmeng
Qing Taimao
Lei Ziren
Address:
FORTEZZA DA BASSOFIRENZE
Florence, Italy, Castle da Basso
Theme Explanation
The sublime nature of light and darkness: duality and unity in contemporary art and design. This year’s Florence Biennale focuses on the primordial and eternal union of light and darkness, a concept that has been central to art, science, philosophy, and literature since ancient times. Light is not merely an object of physics; it is the foundation of life, connecting the macrocosm and the microcosm, guiding us to consider the relationship between humanity’s finite and fragile world and the infinite universe. From Heraclitus, Pythagoras, and Aristotle, to Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, and then to John von Neumann, Maximus, and Einstein, history’s greatest thinkers have deeply explored the mysteries of light. Ancient architectural relics, such as giant pyramids, Mayan temples, and the Giza pyramids, have long demonstrated humanity’s attention to and reverence for sunlight. Throughout subsequent civilizations and historical periods, light has consistently been a central theme explored by artists, architects, scientists, and writers.
Light, as a symbol of divinity, goodness, knowledge, and life, is often contrasted with darkness in Western culture, the latter symbolizing evil, the unknown, and death. However, the existence of light cannot be separated from darkness; together they constitute a prototypical binary relationship, interdependent like day and night, hot and cold, good and evil. As early as ancient Greece, Heraclitus believed that the changes in the world originated from the conflict and unity of opposing things. Even earlier, the Chinese I Ching, revered by Confucianism as a book of wisdom, uses the theory of Yin and Yang to demonstrate that all things in the world possess opposing yet interdependent poles; everything contains its opposing elements, mutually transforming and generating each other. Expansion and contraction, order and chaos, masculinity and femininity, day and night, light and darkness, good and evil—these opposing things are actually all parts of a whole, inseparable from one another.
This philosophical idea revealing the unity of all things was already present in the Indian Rigveda, dating back to 2000 BC. Subsequently, this idea was transmitted to India through Pythagoras’s studies with Egyptian priests, and symbolically embodied in the hieroglyphs of the sun god Ra—a circular pattern with a dot in the center. Centuries later, the Neoplatonist philosopher Plotinus used light as a metaphor to describe how the “One” spreads throughout the multiverse, forming a complementary relationship: light diffuses outward from its source, becoming weaker with distance, but light and darkness remain one, because darkness has no independent source.
Behind the diversity of all things lies a unity. It is this unity that guides humanity toward a higher ideal, ultimately approaching the “One”—the infinite source described by Plotinus. Through five stages—civic virtue, art, love, philosophy, and mystical experience—one can reunite with the One. Art, especially visual art, is considered a crucial pathway for the soul to reach the One. This concept permeated the Roman era and reached its zenith during the Renaissance, where art not only expressed natural beauty but also transcended the material, presenting a sublime and transcendent imagery that revealed the unity within a diverse world.
The theme “The Sublime Essence of Light and Darkness” aims to emphasize how art, architecture, and design evoke humanity’s perception of the boundlessness and inevitability of nature. In nature, opposition often coexists harmoniously; however, in human society, we frequently witness intense conflict, such as war, which causes us to lose sight of the meaning of our own existence.
Therefore, this Biennale’s theme hopes to guide viewers to consider that seemingly opposing things actually belong to a broader whole—our people, our planet, our universe. This whole needs our careful nurturing, and its fundamental basis lies in mutual understanding and respect, dialogue and peace. These principles are the core values that the Florence Biennale has always upheld.
—The Curatorial Committee of the 15th Florence Biennale 2025
Participating Artist
Chao Ge (Invited)
Born in January 1957 in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, with ancestral roots in Solon, Hinggan League, Inner Mongolia, of Mongolian ethnicity, formerly known as Chao Ge, is a contemporary Chinese oil painter and professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. His major paintings include “The Sensitive One,” “Solemn Figure,” “Figure at the Window,” “Silent Friend,” “Two People,” “Krugeren Under the Sun,” and “The West.”
Cellphone
2023
Tempera
57 x 99 cm
Clouds
2024
Tempera
90 x 60 cm
Zhong Biao
Born in Chongqing in 1968, he graduated from the Oil Painting Department of Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (now China Academy of Art) in 1991. He is currently a professor at Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, a member of the Oil Painting Art Committee of the China Artists Association, a director of the China Oil Painting Society, and vice president of the Chongqing Oil Painting Society. He has held solo exhibitions in 11 countries and participated in group exhibitions in over 30 countries. His awards include the Excellence Award at the 10th National Art Exhibition in 2004, the 2010 Harper’s Bazaar Men’s China Innovative Art Figure of the Year, the 2016 Robb Report China Artist of the Year, the Second Prize of the 2019 China Lighting Award, and the 2020 Illumination Society of North America IES Award of Excellence. His works are collected by over 30 museums both domestically and internationally, including the National Art Museum of China, the Singapore Art Museum, the M+ Museum in Hong Kong, the Denver Art Museum in the United States, and the Hagen Art Museum in Germany. He has published works such as Manifestation—Zhong Biao’s Image World and Zhong Biao’s Dictionary.
Peach Blossom Spring, Acrylic on canvas, 150x120cm, 2024
If Love, Acrylic on canvas, 150x200cm, 2024
Jiang Miao
Currently residing in Beijing, artist. Visiting Professor, Department of Printmaking, Central Academy of Fine Arts.
2005: Graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts with a Bachelor’s degree.
2009: Graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts with a Master’s degree.
Solo Exhibitions
2024 Jiang Miao Solo Exhibition: West Bund Art & Design Fair, Whitestone Gallery, Shanghai
2024 “The Realm of the Mind” Jiang Miao Solo Exhibition, King & Wood Mallesons, Beijing
2023 “The Dimension of Otherness” Jiang Miao Solo Exhibition, Beijing, Whitestone Gallery, Beijing
2023 “The Spin of Energy” Jiang Miao Solo Exhibition, Modern Gallery, Taichung, Taiwan
2022 “Auspicious Japan” Jiang Miao Solo Exhibition, Whitestone Gallery, Hong Kong
2021 “Swirl of Colors” Jiang Miao Solo Exhibition, Tsutaya Bookstore, Rising Center, Shanghai
2020 “The Light of Harmony” Jiang Miao Solo Exhibition, Whitestone Gallery, Tokyo
2020 “Swirl of Colors” Jiang Miao Solo Exhibition, Whitestone Gallery Taipei
2019 Jiang Miao Solo Exhibition, Chung Yueh Group Art Museum, Taoyuan, Taiwan
2019 “A New Beginning” Jiang Miao Solo Exhibition, Modern Gallery, Taichung, Taiwan
2019 “A New Beginning” Jiang Miao Solo Exhibition, Casting Museum, Beijing
2018 “A Thought, A Wave” Jiang Miao Solo Exhibition, Phoenix Art City 798, Beijing
2018 “The Cycle of Beginning” Jiang Miao Solo Exhibition, Xushi Heshe Gallery, Beijing
2017 “Dream Show” Post-Era Art Festival, Jiang Miao Solo Exhibition, Ladder Art Museum, Beijing
2013 “Imprints” Jiang Miao Solo Art Exhibition, Wuhan Diamond Art Museum, Hubei
2010 “Monologue” Jiang Miao Solo Exhibition, Oriental Foundation, Macau
“The Cycle of Beginnings”
150x150cm
Acrylic carving on wood panel
2025Partial view of the workPartial view of the work
Yu Hsuan Yeh
Bachelor of Fine Arts, National Taiwan University of Arts. Solo exhibition “Unity” held at the National Taiwan University of Arts International Exhibition Center (New Taipei City) in 2020; participated in the Gwangju Biennale in South Korea in 2013; participated in the “Salon de France” group exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris in 2025; held the group exhibition “Cosmopolitanism 2024” at the Fukuzawa Art Museum in Osaka, Japan in 2024, and again participated in the “Salon de France” exhibition at the Palais de Mars in Paris in the same year; exhibited at the “Temptation Beyond Boundaries” exhibition at the Palazzo Albruzzi-Capello in Venice, Italy in 2024; presented at the S7 Museum in Taipei in 2024 as part of the “Crossing Latitude and Longitude – Taiwan-Korea Art Joint Exhibition”; presented at the Jongh Gallery in Seoul in 2024 as part of the “Taiwan Contemporary Art” special exhibition; and held an exhibition in Taichung City in 2023. The Tun District Art Center hosted the “Eight Major Art Exhibitions”; in 2018, it was selected for the “Beijing Delta Center Art Museum Invitational Exhibition”; in 2014, it was exhibited at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Washington, D.C.; in 2012, it was exhibited at the “Endless Origins Art Exhibition” at the 798 Art Center in Beijing; in 2024, it received a nomination for the Painting category at the “Salon des Artists” exhibition in Paris, France; in 2019, it was selected as one of the Ten Outstanding Alumni of the National Taiwan University of Arts; in 1985, it received the Education Department Award at the 39th Provincial Art Exhibition in Taichung City; in 1983, it won the Second Prize at the 10th National Art Exhibition in Taipei City; in 2023, it was featured in the “China Guardians Seasons Auction” in Beijing, as part of the 2020 Chinese Publications section for Ye Yuxuan’s contemporary art.
Air Pollution Series: The Screaming Elf 1
Mixed Media Ink and Rice Paper
70x140cm
2020～2023
Air Pollution Series: The Screaming Elf 3
Mixed Media Ink and Wash on Xuan Paper
70x140cm
2020～2023
Li Kaishu (Surayeva Natallia)
Surayeva Natallia (Chinese name: Li Kaishu) was born in Gomel, Belarus in 1978 and is a Belarusian citizen. She received her Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the Moscow Sulikev Art Institute in 2011 and completed her postdoctoral research in 2022 at the School of History and Culture, Henan University, specializing in Chinese history. She came to Henan, China in 2000 and has worked in Chinese educational institutions since 2001. Since 2013, she has been an associate professor at the Institute of Art Theory, School of Fine Arts, Henan University, teaching courses such as Foreign Art History, Introduction to Art, and Visual Psychology (in Chinese). Her research focuses on the history and art of the Qing Dynasty in China. She paints oil paintings and watercolors and has participated in numerous domestic and international exhibitions.
Recent Exhibitions:
January 2025: The 4th Shenzhen Dafen International Oil Painting Biennale, Shenzhen / Oil Painting / Selected.
December 2024: 3rd Asian Art Biennale, Shenzhen/Hong Kong / Two paintings: Oil painting (Gold Award), Watercolor (Selected).
November 2024: 2024 “Painting the Silk Road: Exploring the Kunlun Mountains” SCO Artists’ Silk Road Field Trip and Creation Seminar, Kashgar, Xinjiang / Two paintings: Oil painting / Award of Excellence.
September 2024: 3rd Guangzhou International Watercolor Art Exhibition, Guangzhou / Watercolor / Selected.
July 2024: 2023 China-Italy International Art Biennale, Rome (Italy) / Two paintings: Oil painting (Gold Award), Watercolor (Silver Award).
November 2023: Venice International Watercolor Festival, Treviso (Italy) / Watercolor / Award of Excellence.
October 2023: The 3rd Sino-European International Art Biennale, Vienna (Austria), United Nations (Vienna) / (Two paintings: watercolor and oil painting / Selected).
July 2023: The 6th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation International Art Biennale, “Welcoming the Asian Games and Praising Hangzhou,” and the 9th “Painting West Lake” Art Exchange Exhibition, Hangzhou / (Two paintings: oil painting / Selected).
March 2023: The 2nd Guangzhou International Watercolor Art Exhibition, Guangzhou / Watercolor painting / Selected.
July 2022: The International Art Exchange Exhibition “Celebrating the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and Praising the New Hangzhou: ‘Colorful Hangzhou – Chinese and Foreign Artists Painting Hangzhou’,” Hangzhou / Two paintings: oil painting / Selected.
January 2022: The 9th China Beijing International Art Biennale, Beijing / Oil painting / Selected.
February at Longmen Grottoes
Oil on canvas
120×120 mm
2023
Yang Zifan
Born in Beijing, an emerging artist. Specializes in painting, digital new media, and installation art, focusing on the ecological changes and community life system updates in emerging megacities worldwide.
Exhibitions
Digital Games – Solo Painting and Craft Exhibition (Beijing)
The Sky of Generation Z – Chinese and European Youth Painting Exhibition (Hong Kong)
Traveler – “15+1” International Art Workshop Exchange Exhibition (São Paulo, Brazil)
The World is a Riddle – 50 Forums on Youth and Future Art (Durban, South Africa)
Exploration and Discovery – Dialogue Exhibition between Youth and Masters (North American Project Touring Exhibition, Los Angeles + Toronto)
Painting the Future 2.0 – China-Latin America Painting Exhibition (Beijing-Shenzhen)
Dreams and a Beautiful World – Ten-Person Abstract Painting Exhibition (Beijing 798 Art Zone)
Artificial Intelligence and Sketchbook – Solo Exhibition (Guangzhou)
Reconstructed Black and White Ideals – Solo Painting and Installation Exhibition (Singapore)
The Melody of Light
100x80cm
Acrylic on canvas
2025
Cao Xileng
Freelance artist, born in 1963, currently residing in Shenzhen.
Graduated from: Department of Fine Arts, Bengbu University, Anhui Province; Department of Oil Painting, China Academy of Art.
Visiting scholar at the Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France;
Artist-in-Residence at the Hudson Yards, New York;
Studio director at Xiguan Contemporary Art Space, Huangshan, China.
《03/09.10.23》
150cm x 150cm
Linen, oil paint
2023
Huang Shan
2013: Graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts with a Bachelor’s degree.
2016: Graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts with a Master’s degree.
2022: Graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts with a Doctoral degree.
Currently teaching in the Sculpture Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.
Partial Exhibition Experience:
Domestic:
“12th National Art Exhibition – Sculpture Exhibition”, Taiyuan Art Museum, Taiyuan
“13th National Art Exhibition – Sculpture Exhibition”, Chongqing Contemporary Art Museum, Chongqing
“13th National Art Exhibition – Ceramics Exhibition”, China Ceramics Museum, Jingdezhen
“5th National Youth Art Exhibition”, China Art Museum, Shanghai
“6th National Youth Art Exhibition”, National Art Museum of China, Beijing
“2nd China Contemporary Ceramic Art Exhibition”, National Art Museum of China, Beijing
“2022 ‘New Inheritance’ China Ceramic Art Exhibition”, Baoding Museum, Baoding.
The 12th China Ceramic Art Exhibition, Jingdezhen International Convention and Exhibition Center, Jingdezhen
The 7th Western China Ceramic Art Biennale, Wenxuan Art Museum, Chengdu
“Beauty in the Vastness: Small-Scale Works Exhibition at the National Art Museum of China,” National Art Museum of China, Beijing
“The Spirit of Porcelain: 2021 Jingdezhen International Ceramic Biennale,” Jingdezhen Ceramic University Art Museum, Jingdezhen
“Mountains and Seas Grow Together: 2022 Cross-Strait Ceramic Art Invitational Exhibition,” Jingdezhen Ceramic University Art Museum, Jingdezhen.
“Breadth”—The 2nd Wuhan International Ceramic Art Invitational Exhibition, Hubei Academy of Fine Arts Museum, Wuhan
“Classics of the Times—2019 China Sculpture Academic Invitational Exhibition,” Hailan Art Museum, Jiangsu
“Chinese Posture: The 6th China Sculpture Exhibition,” Hubei Art Museum, Hubei
“Ecological Jiangnan: Three-Dimensional Suzhou—The 6th Suzhou Jinji Lake Biennale and the 6th China Youth Sculpture Art Exhibition 2023,” Li Gongdi Laozi Square, Suzhou
“Workers of the Times—Artworks Exhibition,” Taimiao Art Museum, Beijing
“Echoes of Civilization: The Third Portrait of the Times,” Taimiao Art Museum, Beijing
“A Journey of a Thousand Miles” “Exhibition of Outstanding Works from the Central Academy of Fine Arts”, Taimiao Art Museum, Beijing
“Labor Creates the Future – Capital Workers’ Themed Creative Exhibition Celebrating the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and Making Contributions to the New Era”, Taimiao Art Museum, Beijing
“Echoes of Civilization: Part Three – A Tribute to the Times”, Jingdezhen Taoxichuan Art Museum, Jingdezhen
“Beijing Youth Art Biennale”, Today Art Museum, Beijing
“The 4th Asian Youth Artists Nomination Exhibition”, Bird’s Nest Cultural Center – China Overseas Art Museum, Beijing
“Welcoming the Asian Games – China Sports Art Exhibition”, National Stadium (Bird’s Nest), Beijing
“Derivation—Contemporary Chinese Ceramics Exhibition”, Taoxichuan Art Museum, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Jingdezhen
“The 7th Central and Western China Ceramics Biennale 2021”, Wenjiang Art Museum, Chengdu
International:
“United in Spirit and Nature: Contemporary Chinese Ceramics Art Exhibition”, Cultural Center of the Catholic University of Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
“Sailing the Silk Road 2015: China Art Exchange Exhibition”, Carrara, Italy
“China-Egypt Youth University Student Exchange Exhibition”, Halewan University, Cairo, Egypt
“New Era: Exchange and Integration of Chinese and Korean Culture – 2020” Sculpture Exhibition, Busan, South Korea
Solo Exhibitions
“Han Dynasty Style: Mountains and Seas”—Huang Shan & Dong Lin Dual Solo Exhibition, Gaota Art Museum, Beijing
“The Evolution of Sculpture”—Doctoral Postgraduate Teaching Observation Series Dual Solo Exhibition: The Return of the Hero”, Boya Exhibition Hall, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing
Heroic Epic
Ceramic
40cm x 50cm x 20cm
2025
Heroic Epic 2
Ceramic
Length 75cm, Height 66cm, Width 25cm
2025
Han Yunze
A clay artist and local practitioner, Han Yunze holds a PhD in Ceramics from the Department of Crafts at Tokyo University of the Arts. He currently lives and works in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, China. His artistic practice focuses on experimental research into local clay materials and glazes. His artistic practice is grounded in the regional and material nature of clay as a natural medium, with a long-term focus on the experimentation and application of natural materials, exploring the potential tension between the local character of ceramics and contemporary craft language.
Han Yunze’s artistic practice spans the traditional ceramics system of Jingdezhen and the contemporary ceramics education system of Japan. He graduated from Jingdezhen Ceramic University in 2012 and subsequently pursued further studies in Japan, attending Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts and Letters and Tokyo University of the Arts.
Han Yunze’s works have been selected for numerous important ceramic art exhibitions both domestically and internationally, including: the 2014 Asian Modern Ceramic Art Exhibition in South Korea, the 2015 Asian Modern Ceramic Art Exhibition in China, the 2016 Asian Modern Ceramic Art Exhibition in Taiwan, the 4th Japan Ceramic Art Association Exhibition in 2016, the 8th Japan Ceramic Art Association Exhibition in 2021, the 2023 Jingdezhen International Ceramic Biennale, the 2024 China-Korea Contemporary Ceramic Art Exchange Exhibition, and the 2025 China-Japan Art Exhibition. In addition to group exhibitions, his solo works have been continuously exhibited at RYUBO Department Store, the Ginza Silver Tea Party in Tokyo, and the Mitsukoshi Department Store Du Kiln Party, among other venues. His major solo exhibitions include: “Welcome to My Wonderful World” at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Centre in 2021, “Between Grass and Trees” at Meiyan Art Center in Jingdezhen in 2022, and “Clay and Fire in Myriad Forms” at Yunshan Academy·Jianzhi Art Center in Changsha in 2025. These exhibitions showcase his ongoing exploration and practice based on local material experimentation, regional cultural perception, and cross-cultural ceramic language.
Light of Wisdom
30x30x60cm
Ceramic, gemstones, real gold
2025
Hope
27x14x52cm
Ceramics; Earthenware, Glass
2025
Wang Kuanmeng
A painting major at the Milan Academy of Fine Arts, Italy, specializing in modern art and material experimentation, his works blend traditional craftsmanship with contemporary aesthetics.
Education and Collections: Mosaic works created during his studies are in the permanent collection of the Milan Academy of Fine Arts and have been selected multiple times for the Brera Academy Exhibition.
Key Projects: In 2015, he participated in the design and handcrafting of the China Pavilion’s Sky Hall at the Milan Expo; in the same year, he participated in the Milan government’s Rho Fiera Piazza Costellazione mosaic square project. In 2018, he exhibited in Progetto della Bicocca “Sesto Stato”.
Recent Exhibitions: His works have been exhibited in the Inner Mongolia Private Photography Collection Exhibition and the Tangshan Family Heritage Series Exhibition. In 2024, he was invited to participate in the Chengdu International Art Fair and the Italian Youth Material Experiment Art Project, and is currently continuing to explore cross-cultural artistic expression.
Revelation Series
31cm x 45cm x 4
Watercolor on paper
2024
Qing Taimao
A contemporary ink painter, he studied at the China National Academy of Painting in 2006. His work Love Disguised as a Monologue won the Bronze Medal in the Mixed Media category at the Lorenzo International Art Exhibition at the Florence Biennale. He currently resides in Beijing.
Solo Exhibitions:
“Void Land” Qing Taimao Exhibition (Guilin Art Museum) 2025
“Monologue and Song” Qing Taimao Solo Exhibition (Millennium Time Gallery, Beijing) 2022-2023
“All Things: Renaming” Qing Taimao Solo Exhibition (Millennium Time Gallery, Beijing) 2021
“Walking Under the Moon” Qing Taimao Ink Painting Exhibition (Millennium Time Art Center, Nanchang) 2021
“Shedding Feathers” Qing Taimao Ink Painting Exhibition (Hanwei International Art Center) 2018
Group Exhibitions:
“Man” “The Era of Intelligence” – The 3rd Jinan International Biennale (Jinan Art Museum) 2024
“Vision and Poetry” – Contemporary Chinese Painting Exhibition (Dante’s House Museum, Florence) 2024
“Praying for Rain with Stones” – The 7th New Humanistic Painting Exhibition (Beijing Yu Space/Yushan Contemporary Art Museum) 2024
“I Am You – Individual and Collective Identity in Contemporary Art and Design”
–The 14th Florence International Contemporary Art and Design Biennale, China Section (Castle da Basso, Florence) 202 3 Years
“Metaphysical” Contemporary Art Exhibition (Heze Art Museum) 2023
“In Every Unfamiliar Place, There’s Always a Familiar Moon” Songzhuang Art 30-Year Themed Exhibition (Beijing Mao Space) 2023
“Transcendence and Integration” Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition (El Salvador National Exhibition) 2023
“Future and Contemporaryity” The 14th Havana Biennale (National Library of Cuba) 2022
“2021: Breaking Through Time” Exhibition of Works by 20 Contemporary Artists (Beijing) * Millennium Time Gallery 2021
Visual in Progress: 2019 Beijing International Design Week Invitational Exhibition (Beijing Peking University Resources Tianzhu Innovation Park) 2019
The Essence of Art: The Techniques and Craftsmanship of Chinese Handmade Papermaking Exhibition 1 [Tsinghua Qingdao Institute of Art and Science Innovation] 2021
The Essence of Art: The Techniques and Craftsmanship of Chinese Handmade Papermaking Exhibition 2 [Beijing Science and Technology Museum] 2021
Exploring the Essence: A Dialogue Between Chinese and South African Artists [Durban Art Gallery, South Africa] 2019
Void Land – Day and Night
200x250cmx2
Ink and wash on Xuan paper, mixed media including silver and gold leaf
2023
Lei Ziren
He received his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1989; and completed postdoctoral research in the Department of Art History and Theory at the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University.
He has worked for the National Audit Office (China Times Economic Press), the School of Arts at Renmin University of China, and the Jiangxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism (Jiangxi Academy of Painting, Jiangxi Provincial Art Museum), among others. His main focus is on Chinese painting creation and theoretical research, with an emphasis on visual production and image narrative in contemporary rural social change in China. His artistic practice includes contemporary ink painting and other easel painting, as well as ceramic art. He is currently a professor and doctoral supervisor at the China Academy of Art, and the deputy director of the Visual China Collaborative Innovation Center, living and working in Hangzhou, Beijing, and Nanchang.
“Lord of the Clouds – Meibei 2005-2025”
Documentary
Screenshot
45 minutes 15 seconds
Synopsis: This film tells the true story of an ancient village in southern China over 20 years. From 2005 to 2025, artist Lei Ziren conducted fieldwork and artistic practice in Meibei Ancient Village, Jiangxi Province, China. This included producing and organizing historical texts and images of the village, sketching local landscapes and figures, and creating numerous works set against the backdrop of the village. Simultaneously, his tracking footage meticulously records the realities that occurred in the village at different times. The film presents the interactions between the artist and the villagers in various settings, including daily life, festivals, and family and public spaces. It reflects the numerous historical changes in the landscape, customs, and human relationships of Meibei Village from the late 20th to the early 21st century, serving as a microscope for observing the cells of rural Chinese society.
The theme “Lord of the Clouds” borrows the name of a deity from Qu Yuan’s “Nine Songs.” Lord of the Clouds always resides high in the clouds, overlooking the world from a godlike perspective. The film possesses both this macro-level compassion and the artist’s micro-level bitterness, profoundly and delicately showcasing his concern for the lives of ordinary people in China.
Curator
Zhang Siyong
Artist and cross-disciplinary practitioner, curator, founder and artistic director of Beijing Millennium Time Gallery, and director of Nanchang Millennium Time Art Center.
Also serves as chief curator of the Uruguay Art Center, artistic director of the Liszt Center-Hungarian Cultural Center in Beijing, specially appointed expert of the Urban Renewal Research Center of Beijing International Design Week, international exhibition consultant of Jiangxi Provincial Art Museum, specially appointed professor of Jiangxi Normal University, international committee member of the Florence International Art Biennale, and recipient of the Biennale Curator Ambassador Award.
A look back at the 14th Florence Biennale (2023)
Award-winning artists at the 14th Florence Biennale
Exhibition scene of the 14th Florence Biennale
Exhibition scene of the 14th Florence Biennale
Exhibition scene of the 14th Florence Biennale
Curator Zhang Siyong and the president of the Florence Biennale
Zhang Siyong and Professor Wu Hongbin received honorary certificates as curators of the biennial.
Exhibition scene of the 14th Florence Biennale
Exhibition scene of the 14th Florence Biennale
Exhibition scene of the 14th Florence Biennale
Exhibition scene of the 14th Florence Biennale
Exhibition scene of the 14th Florence Biennale
end