survey_32 — new-generation video art
1. Cheng Ran — 程然 (Inner Mongolia, 1981)
A video artist and filmmaker from Hangzhou: he builds films and multi-screen installations from editing, borrowed images and “cinematic” time.
- Path — born in 1981 in Inner Mongolia (according to NGV, in Chifeng); in 2004 he graduated from the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou (painting department); in 2013–2014 he completed a residency at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten (Amsterdam); he lives and works in Hangzhou.
- Method — he works above all with video and film: simple cutting, rearrangement, editing, the long take; his films often lack a coherent plot, and what matters is mood and emotion.
- Key works — “In Course of the Miraculous” (2015–2016), a multi-hour widescreen HD picture premiered at the 2015 Istanbul Biennial; “Diary of a Madman” (2016–2017); “Always I Distrust” (2020); “Hot Blood, Warm Blood, Cold Blood” (2011, three-channel HD video).
- Platform — in 2017 he founded in Hangzhou the independent art platform Martin Goya Business (马丁·戈雅生意), which supports young artists, designers and musicians.
2. Tao Hui — 陶辉 (Yunyang, Chongqing, 1987)
An artist of immersive video installations: he collides the documentary and the fictional to speak about cultural memory, language and identity.
- Path — born in 1987 in Yunyang (Chongqing); in 2010 he received a bachelor of fine arts degree from the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute; he lives and works in Beijing.
- Recognition — in 2015 he received the Grand Prize of the 19th Sesc_Videobrasil Contemporary Art Festival (São Paulo) and the Art Sanya & Huayu Youth Award; in 2017 the HUGO BOSS ASIA ART award for young Asian artists; in 2019 he was shortlisted for the first Sigg Prize (M+, Hong Kong).
- Key works — “Excessive” (2015), “Hello, finale!” (2017, nine-channel HD video installation), “Double Talk” (2018), “The Night of Peacemaking” (2022), “Hardworking” (2023), “Chilling Terror Sweeps the North” (2024).
- Exhibitions — solo: “In the Land Beyond Living”, Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong (2024); “Searing Pain”, Aranya Art Center, Beidaihe (2022); “Not at all”, OCAT Xi’an (2017); “New Directions: Tao Hui”, UCCA, Beijing (2015).
3. Li Ran — 李然 (Hubei, 1986)
A “video writer” of an artist: he acts out roles from the cinema and theatre of the 1950s, working with image, dubbing and archival documents.
- Path — born in 1986 in Hubei province; in 2009 he graduated from the oil painting department of the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute (bachelor’s degree); in 2018 he moved from Beijing to Shanghai.
- Method — he works at the intersection of video, performance, painting, installation and writing; he collects photo archives, stages scenes and dubs them, exploring the roles of antagonists and minor characters from theatre and imported cinema since the 1950s.
- Key works — “Another The Other Story” (2013, single-channel video and documentary installation), “Life of the Pilgrim” (2017, single-channel video, 33 min), “Waiting for the New Suit” (2017), “Night of the Patmos” (2017), “From You Lehui to Liu Baiben” (2012–2017).
- Exhibitions — solo: “The Signs are Present”, Lisson Gallery, Los Angeles (2025); “Waiting for the Advent”, Lisson Gallery, London (2023); “Beyond Silence”, Lisson Gallery, New York (2022); “Who Are You”, AIKE, Shanghai (2019); “Life of the Pilgrim”, ShanghART, Beijing (2017).
4. Ming Wong — 黄汉明 (Singapore, 1971)
A video installation artist: he plays every character in world cinema, exposing the ideas of “authenticity” and “the original”.
- Path — born in 1971 in Singapore; he lives and works in Berlin; professor of performance in the expanded field at the Royal Institute of Art (Stockholm).
- Method — he re-films scenes from classic world cinema, playing every role himself and constantly changing the characters’ race, gender and language; through imperfect translation and repetition he explores how identity is constructed and circulated.
- Key works — “Life of Imitation” (2009, two-channel video installation, special mention at the 53rd Venice Biennale in the Singapore Pavilion); “Four Malay Stories” (2005, four-channel video installation); “Making Chinatown” (2012, seven-channel video); “Persona Performa” (2012).
- Residencies — in 2025 he was artist-in-residence at the National Gallery in London; his new film “Dance of the sun on the water / Saltatio solis in aqua” was shown in the galleries from January to April 2026.
5. Xu Zhen — 徐震 (Shanghai, 1977)
A conceptual artist and entrepreneur: he turned his own name into a brand and made the corporation a form of artistic production.
- Path — born in 1977 in Shanghai; in 1996 he graduated from the Shanghai School of Arts and Crafts; in 2001 he took part in the main programme of the 49th Venice Biennale, becoming the youngest Chinese artist in the main project.
- Early videos — “Rainbow” (1998, single-channel digital video, 3 min 13 s): an invisible hand strikes a bare back, which reddens, while the blows themselves are cut from the edit; “Shouting” (1998); “I’m not asking for anything” (1999); “We are Right Back” (2001).
- Corporation — in 2009 he founded MadeIn Company — an “art production company” playing on “Made in China”; in 2013 he launched the brand XU ZHEN®, in 2014 MadeIn Gallery, in 2022 MadeIn Art Museum; in 2025 he founded the platform HOL.
- Key works — “In Just a Blink of an Eye” (2005) — a performance with a body floating in mid-air; the series “Eternity” (from 2013) and “Under Heaven” (from 2012); “ShanghART Supermarket” (2007).
6. Tianzhuo Chen — 陈天灼 (Beijing, 1985)
An artist of performance, video and installation: he mixes religious symbolism with club subculture, turning the exhibition space into a ritual or a rave.
- Path — born in November 1985 in Beijing; from 2007 to 2009 he studied graphic design at Central Saint Martins (London), and from 2009 to 2010 pursued a master’s in fine art at Chelsea College of Art and Design; he lives and works in Beijing.
- Method — he works between installation, performance, video, drawing and photography; many works require the participation of the audience and take the form of a “happening” — an underground party, a stage performance or a constructed ritual space.
- Key videos and films — “PARADI$E BITCH” (2014), “ADAHA”, “19:53” (2015), “Ishvara” (2016), “GHOST” (2017), “Ksana”; the projects “TRANCE” (2023) and “Ocean Cage” (2024) combine film, music and performance.
- Exhibitions — solo: “Ocean Cage”, Song Art Museum, Beijing (2024); “Illuminated Spirits”, Tank, Shanghai (2023); “TRANCE”, M WOODS, Beijing (2019); “Ishvara”, Long March Space, Beijing (2016); “Tianzhuo Chen”, Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2015).