Yun-Fei Ji

Inspired by his upbringing in China during the Cultural Revolution, painter Yun-Fei Ji creates work that explores China's history and development with a critical eye. The artist merges his training in the techniques of classical Chinese painting with contemporary themes, addressing the often tumultuous aspects of his native country's modernization through the reworking of traditional symbolism. As Ji has stated, "I use landscape painting to explore the utopian dreams of Chinese history, from past collectivization to new consumerism." Ji, who first came to the United States in 1986 on a Fulbright Fellowship, has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the 2006 American Academy Prix de Rome fellowship. His work has been exhibited at museums and institutions worldwide, including solo shows at the the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing (2012) and the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania (2004), as well as in notable group shows such as the 18th Sydney Biennial (2012) and the 2002 Whitney Biennial.