Liu Wei

Liu Wei (b. 1972) is a leading Chinese contemporary artist known for his multidisciplinary practice that spans painting, sculpture, installation, video and architecture-inspired structures. Based in Beijing, Liu came to prominence in the 1990s as part of the ‘Post-Sense Sensibility’ movement — a group of artists rejecting both the political cynicism of Cynical Realism and the detached irony of earlier contemporary Chinese art. His work has since developed into a visually arresting investigation of power, urbanisation and the unstable nature of perception.

Liu studied at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, graduating in 1996. His early works used satire and visceral materials to critique consumer culture and authoritarianism. Over time, his practice evolved into something more abstract, adopting a conceptual and often architectural language. Works such as Love It! Bite It! (2006), a cityscape made of edible dog chews, parody utopian ambitions through fragile, perishable materials.

Much of Liu’s mature work is concerned with the structure of cities and systems of control. His large-scale installations and geometric paintings often reference the rapid transformation of urban space in China, conveying both awe and unease. Drawing upon Constructivism, Minimalism and traditional Chinese philosophies, Liu probes the intersections of order, chaos and impermanence.

Liu Wei has exhibited widely, including at the Venice Biennale (2003, 2019), Guggenheim Museum, and Centre Pompidou.