Shen Hongbiao was born in Shenyang, in China, in 1969, and studied sculpture at the Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts. He joined Paris’s Sorbonne University following an internship at the city’s École des Beaux-Arts with Professor Abraham Pincas – a decision which was influenced by a meeting with Eliane Chiron, a professor at the Sorbonne. Following this, the artist decided to deepen his work, and took a masters course, before producing a thesis entitled “The Poetry of Shock in Contemporary Chinese Sculpture”.
Shen Hongbiao tries to represent an interior force in his sculptures. The materials which he employ in these works are often very hard – like steel , iron, bronze and stone. The interior force of the sculpture is soft, like water. It extends up to the exterior, whilst the force of the exterior pushes inward: the two forces press against one another. His art acts as a witness to the artist’s inner core and life.
There are two sources of inspiration for Shen Hongbiao’s art. One is the cultures of the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) and the Wei Dynasty (386 – 550 AD). He consult a lot of examples of works in this field – such as the brick reliefs of Hua Xiang Zhuan or those in stone by Hua Xiang Shi, which date from the Han Dynasty (Hua Xiang Zhuan). Han and Wei were two glorious eras, marked by a sense of artistic freedom following the rigorous nature of practice during the Qin dynasty (221 BC – 207 AD).
The second influence lies in the landscape of Mongolia, where the artist came from, and the customs of its inhabitants: for example, horse riding, wrestling and archery. He spent years in Steppes, and the nature there makes him feel at ease. Between the sky and Steppes, there is nothing but oneself. The artist’s experience in France has enabled him to find a language for his art. When he was in Europe, Shen Hongbiao rediscovered the essence of Asian culture – it’s also because of this that he used a lot of Asian languages during his studies.
Shen Hongbiao mentioned his works are better adapted to large, rather than small spaces. The bigger an area is, the greater the force of his sculptures – something which is a recurrent characterstic of his artistic practice.
1969：Born in Shenyang City
1993：Graduated from the Sculpture Department of Luxun Academy of Fine Arts with Bachelor’s degree；
2001：Graduated from the Universite de Paris I-Pantheon Sorbonne with the master’s degree of formative arts；
2007：Graduated from the Universite de Paris I-Pantheon Sorbonne with the doctor’s degree of formative arts；
Now: Professor of Sculpture Department of China Central Academy of Fine Arts；Member of The Formative Arts Association Of UNESCO；Member of International Association Of Mongolian Hummei.
Solo Shows：
2012:Breathing-Shen Hongbiao Sculpture Exhibition ,Hongyue Art Gallery ,Beijing ,China.
2011：Faraway Eternity – Shen Hongbiao Sculpture Show , Loft 3 Gallery , Beijing ,China.
2009：In the Distance – Shen Hongbiao Sculpture Show , Loft 3 Gallery , Beijing , China.
2007：Meditation in Wind , Gallery of Central Academy of Fine Arts , Beijing , China.
Group Exhibitions：
2012：International Olympic Arts Competitions(only selected works from China ,and
won the international award) ,The International Olympic Committee , Lausanne , Switzerland；
Berlin Art Exhibition , Berlin Art Museum , Berlin , Germany；
Central Academy of Fine Arts Sculpture Exhibition , CAFA Art Center , Beijing, China；
Academic Force-CAFA’s Annual Works Echibition , Luohu Creative Culture Center, Shenzhen ,China
2011: 798 International Art Festival , Honorable Mention,798,Beijing,China；
The Datong International Art Biennale
2010：The Fourth Beijing International Art Biennale , National Art Museum of China ,Beijing , China；
“Lofty and Seclusion” – Shen Hongbiao &Yang Chunlin Exhibition , Sunshine International Art Museum , Beijing , China；
Show of Works of Professors at Central Academy of Fine Arts , Gallery of Central Academy of Fine Arts , Beijing , China；
China Excellent Sculpture Works Exhibition , China Society of Sculpture , Beijing , China；
“2010 Beijing Tempo – Quad Show of Majestic and Modern Sculpture Works” , China Millennium Monument , Beijing , China；
2009：The China Impetus 2009 – Chinese International Sculpture Almanac Exhibition ,Xiedao Gallery , Beijing , China；
“1+1”Charity Show , China Agriculture Exhibition Center , Beijing , China；
“Show of Excellent Works of CAFA’s Artists Selected by National Art Project” , Shenzhen Century Art Plaza , Shenzhen , China；
2008：South Korea – China Modern Arts Exchange – Oriental Light , 798-3818 Gallery ,Beijing , China；
2007：Anti – Britain War by Jiangzi People selected by the Art CreationProject of Major National Historical Topics , National Art Museum of China , Beijing(collected by National Art Museum of China)；
2005：Taizhou International Sculpture Show , Taizhou Art Museum , Taizhou , China；
2004：Wind – Modern arts Show , Theme Factory , Beijing , China；
2003：China Today Modern Arts Show , China Millennium Monument , Beijing , China；
2001：Salon International d’Art Marne-La-Valle , Paris , France；
1999： The Ninth National Arts Show , National Art Museum of China , Beijing , China；
1998：The Fourth China Sports Arts Show , National Art Museum of China , Beijing ,China；
1997：“97”China Arts Expo , National Art Museum of China , Beijing , China；
1995：“Sino-South Korean” International Arts Exchange , Beijing , China；
1994：Honorable Mention of the Eighth National Arts Exhibition , National Art Museum of China , Beijing , China；
1993：The First Award of the Graduate Work of National Academies of Fine Arts ,Shenayng , China (collected by Luxun Academy of Fine Arts)；
Boulgoud – The third China Sports Arts Show , National Art Museum of China , Beijing , China；