Shao Fan
Biography
Shao Fan (b. 1964, Beijing, China) is recognized for his multidisciplinary practice, which draws on traditional Chinese culture while also referencing Western art history. Across painting, sculpture, and installation, he creates ethereal works exploring the interdependence of humanity and nature.
Shao Fan’s meticulous monochromatic ink-on-rice-paper paintings emerge through extended periods of concentration, applying delicate washes in repetitive, controlled strokes. Rooted in Taoist philosophy, his work reflects a worldview in which humans, animals, and the natural environment exist in balance. Recurring subjects, such as hares, monkeys, whales, and everyday produce, carry cultural and symbolic resonance, often referencing historical Chinese customs and beliefs. Through repetition, Shao enters a meditative state, balancing form, line, and tone according to Taoist principles. Drawing on calligraphic techniques of the Song dynasty (960–1279) and processes linked to Liangzhu jade artefacts, he builds surfaces that register both duration and transformation. References to Western art, from Dutch still-life painting to the observational precision of Albrecht Dürer, intersect with these traditions without disrupting their internal logic. His sculptural and design-based works include reconfigured Ming dynasty furniture, extending his inquiry into temporality and transformation across different mediums.
Institutional solo exhibitions include Het Noordbrabants Museum, ’s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands (2020); Ludwig Museum im Deutschherrenhaus, Koblenz, Germany (2018); and Suzhou Museum, Suzhou, China (2018). His works are held in major private and public collections, including the Fukuoka Art Museum (Japan); the M+ Sigg Collection (Hong Kong/Switzerland); the Metropolitan Museum of Art (USA); the Royal Ontario Museum (Canada); and the Victoria and Albert Museum (UK).
Shao Fan lives and works in Beijing.
DOWNLOADS
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITION
2026
Refrain, White Cube Mason’s Yard, London, United Kingdom
The Nature of Things, Mirrored Gardens, Guangzhou, China
2024
Shao Fan, Galerie Urs Meile, Zurich, Switzerland
2023
In the Name of the Rabbit, Mirrored Gardens, Guangzhou, China
2021
The Ink of Yu Han, Galerie Urs Meile, Lucerne, Switzerland
2020
Shao Fan: Between Truth and Illusion, Het Noordbrabants Museum, HT ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
2018
Recent Works, Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing, China
YOU, Ludwig Museum im Deutschherrenhaus, Koblenz, Germany; Suzhou Museum, Suzhou, China
2016
Big Rabbit +, Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing, China
2014
Face to Face - Shao Fan, Galerie Urs Meile, Lucerne, Switzerland
2013
St. Moritz Art Masters, St. Moritz, Switzerland
2012
Appreciation of Oldness: The Paintings of Shao Fan, Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing, China
2010
An Incurable Classicist, Contrasts Gallery, Shanghai, China
2005
Ten Years Ago…, Contrasts Gallery, Shanghai, China
2000
Shao Fan Solo Exhibition, NEOTU Design Gallery, Paris, France
1996
Chairs About Chairs, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026
Color to Quiet, Galerie Urs Meile Ankerstrasse, Zurich, Switzerland
2025
Anker Protocol – 1.0, Galerie Urs Meile Rämistrasse, Zurich, Switzerland
Does the flower hear the bee?: 15th Shanghai Biennale, Power Station of Art (PSA), Shanghai, China
2024
Feelings of the Season III, Galerie Urs Meile, Ardez, Switzerland
2023
Projection, Sifang Art Museum, Nanjing, China
2022
Hill of the Madman, Power Station of Art (PSA), CHANEL Culture Fund, Shanghai, China
2021
SNAPSHOT, Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing, China
Minestrone, Galerie Urs Meile, Ardez, Switzerland
2020
The Revival of Tradition - Another Approach to Contemporary Chinese Art, Song Art Museum, Beijing, China
Facing the Collector. The Sigg Collection of Contemporary Art from China, Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art, Rivoli, Italy
Und Hasen, Hasen schneit es fort, Millionen jede Stund’, Kunstmuseum Olten, Olten, Switzerland
2018
Suzhou Jinji Lake Biennale , Suzhou Center, Suzhou, China
Karneval der Tiere, Kunstmuseum Luzern, Lucerne, Switzerland
2016
Chinese Whispers, Kunstmuseum Bern and Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern, Switzerland
2015
A New Dynasty - Created in China, ARoS Aarhus Art Museum, Aarhus, Denmark
Rest on Water and Gargle with Stone - Chinese Contemporary Literati Art, Asia Art Center, Beijing, China
China 8, Museum Folkwang Essen, Lehmbruck Museum Duisburg, Kunstmuseum Gelsenkirchen, Skulpturenmuseum Glaskasten Marl, Osthaus Museum Hagen, Kunsthalle Recklinghausen, NRW Forum Düsseldorf, Germany
2014
“Secret Signs” Chinese contemporary calligraphy exhibition, Deichtorhallen, Hamburg, Germany
De la Chine aux arts Decortifs, Musée des Arts décoratifs, Paris, France
2013
Confronting Anitya: Oriental Experience in Contemporary Art, Palazzo Michiel, Venice, Italy
Ink Art: Past as Present in Contemporary China, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
2012
Go Figure! Contemporary Chinese Portraiture, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra; Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation, Sydney, Australia
A New Perspective of Chinese Contemporary Art, Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong, China 4th Guangzhou Triennial, Guangzhou, China
2011
Xiamen Art Museum of Chinese Elite, Xiamen, China
First Beijing International Design Triennial 2011, National Museum of China, Beijing, China
A New Horizon – Contemporary Chinese Art, National Museum of Australia, Canberra, Australia
Omni – Dimensional Design in China, Beijing Center for the Arts, Beijing, China
2010
Three in Company – The Deep Love for Painting, National Art Museum of China (NAMOC), Beijing, China
Seoul Design Fair 2010, Jasmil Sports Complex, Seoul, Korea
2009
Beijng – Havana New Contemporary Chinese Art Revolution, National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana, Cuba
2008
I Dream, I Seek My Garden, RHS Royal Hospital Chelsea, London, UK
China Design Now, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
Chinese Garden for Living – Illusion into Reality, Staatliche Kunstsammlung Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Beijing – Athens Contemporary Art from China, Technopolis, Athens, Greece
2007
Rewind Remix Fast-Forward: Chinese Contemporary Art, Contrasts Gallery, Shanghai, China
2006
Shao Fan – Pierre Marie Lejeune-Sculptures-Deux Propositions, 798 Art District, Beijing, China
2005
Inspired by China, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, USA
Awakening: La France Mandarine – The French Influence on Chinese Art, National Art Museum of China (NAMOC), Beijing, China
2004
1st Architectural Biennale, Beijing, China
Chinese Imagination, Tuileries Garden, Paris, France
2000
Passe-Murailles: Nouvelles Scènes de l’Art Contemporain Chinois, Musée de Picardie, Amiens, France
Big Torino 2000: Biennale of Emerging Artists, Torino Biennale, Turin, Italy
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Numerous museums around the world, such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Peabody Museum of Salem in the United States, The Victoria and Albert Museum in England, The National Art Museum of China, Hong Kong’s M+ Museum, and The Fukuoka Art Museum in Japan, Royal Ontario Museum, Sigg Collection, Erlenmeyer Foundation, dsl collection, among others, have been collecting his works since 1988.