Chen Wei constructs personal narratives using fabricated props and cinematically staged scenes, all of which are meticulously assembled inside his studio. Every image is a fragmented time space caught in suspension, evoking social conditions and memories through recurring motifs. Through these fictional scenes of objects, interiors and cityscapes, familiar yet surreal, Chen exposes the psychological and socio-political characters of contemporary China: collective yearning for betterment, disillusionment of consumerist desires, and a nostalgia for a haphazardly erased past. Besides photography, Chen also creates multi-media installations: his LED sculptures and videos are reminiscent of urban living experiences.
Chen’s solo exhibitions took place at G Museum (Nanjing, 2026), Blindspot Gallery (Hong Kong, 2025 & 2021), Fotografiska (Shanghai, 2024), West Bund Art Museum (Shanghai, 2021), HOW Art Museum (Shanghai, 2025 & 2021), Centre for Contemporary Photography (Melbourne, 2017), JNBY FESTIVAL No.1 (Hangzhou, 2016) and K11 chi art museum (Shanghai, 2015). Chen has also exhibited at international institutions and biennales including GOLD by Serakai Studio (Hong Kong, 2026), Auckland Art Gallery (Auckland, 2026), Tai Kwun Contemporary (Hong Kong, 2026 & 2019), Chengdu Biennale (Chengdu, 2026), Tokyo Photographic Art Museum (Tokyo, 2025 & 2024), M+ (Hong Kong, 2025), TANK (Shanghai, 2024), Centre Pompidou (Paris, 2024), 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art (Kanazawa, 2024 & 2020), MACA Art Center (Beijing, 2024), Yuz Museum (Shanghai, 2023), White Rabbit Gallery (Sydney, 2023), He Art Museum (Foshan, 2022), Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung (Munich, 2020), Asia Society Texas Center (Houston, 2016), Museum Folkwang (Essen, 2015), and Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (Beijing, 2013).
Chen currently lives and works between Beijing and Tokyo.
