(b. Kuandian County, Liaoning Province, China, 1986) 

He Xiangyu’s conceptual practice manifests in multi-year projects that span sculpture, drawing, installation, and video. Emerging as part of a generation of artists who experienced rapid urbanization in China during their upbringing, He’s work looks to shift the viewer’s perception of cultural signifiers through an examination and manipulation of material. Divergent in their aesthetic, the artist’s projects aim to investigate an array of personal, social, and political themes, addressing cultural boundaries and the commercialized status of contemporary art.

Past solo exhibitions include: Turtle, Lion, Bear, Qiao Collection Space, Shanghai, 2017, New Directions, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, 2015, A4 Contemporary Arts Center, Chengdu, 2012, The Death of Marat, Künstlerhaus Schloss Balmoral, Bad Ems, Germany, 2011, and Cola Project, Wall Art Museum, Beijing, 2010. He participated in the first edition of the Yichuan Biennale, Yichuan, 2016, the 13th Biennale de Lyon, Lyon, 2015, and the 10th Shanghai Biennale, 2014. In addition, He was nominated for the Future Generation Art Prize in 2014.   

He Xiangyu lives and works in Beijing and Berlin. Artist portrait by Trevor Good.