Characterised by his linear rows of duplicated human heads, Chen Yu favours his own take on the repetitive balance of Political Pop Art and Rouge Cynicism representation. Stylistically counterbalancing the spatial elements of repetition, he alleviates visual congestion by infusing space and wit into his subject through vista tightened and relaxed in binary opposition.

Targeting a particular social reference, the inner commentary of Chen Yu’s art is at times bordering on farcical satire. Held within his repetitive framework is the amassed central identity of fashion and trend, forming a pseudo-Jungian archetype against a politically charged landscape. Emerging out of an “era where independent individuals and the liberalisation of thought are advocated”, Chen Yu questions the standardised self and his monotonous replication of the “self” lends an ironical twist to the one faltering exception in each piece; a sly wink, or a vague variation in facial expression and tone.

In someway self-consciously aware and questioning, Chen Yu is somehow abstract and aloof. Chen Yu endorses the personality through an oblique confrontation to individual integrity. Strengthened by explicit symbolism of media advertising and recent political events, the human is pitted against the social to question our acquiescence to a social norm. Chen Yu visually extrapolates the implications of our ‘social’ selves with a poetic lyricism that resumes the social commentary of China’s recent history.

 Biography

1969     Born in Guizhou Province, China

1993     Graduated from Engraving Department of Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China

Awards

2005     30 Top Finalists, The Sovereign Art Foundation

Solo Exhibitions

2001     One Eye Opened and One Eye Closed, Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong

2005     An Eye for An Eye, Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong

Group Exhibitions

1996     Group Art Exhibition, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing

1997     Excellent Young Artists’ Works Exhibition, Han Mo Art Gallery, Beijing

1998     First Round Exhibition of Four Artists, Century Art Gallery, Beijing

Capital Young Artists Invitation Exhibition, Sun Art Salon, Beijing

1999     Sharp Eye: Associated Exhibition for Artists Born in the 70’s, International Palace Art Gallery, Beijing and He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen Second Round Exhibition of Five Artists, Contemporary Art Gallery, Beijing Shanghai International Art Fair, Shanghai

2000     Guangzhou International Art Fair, Guangzhou

Taipei International Art Fair, Taipei

2001     Group Exhibition, Han Mo Art Gallery, Beijing

Third Round Exhibition of Four Artists, Han Mo Art Gallery, Beijing

2002     Beijing Inaugural Exhibition, Schoeni Art Gallery, Beijing

10th Anniversary Exhibition, Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong

Two-man Exhibition, Chen Yu and Yang Jin Song, Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong

ChinArt, Museum Kueppersmuehle Sammlung Grothe, Duisburg, Germany

ChinArt, Museo Arte Contemporanea di Roma, Rome, Italy

ChinArt, Ludwig Museum, Budapest, Hungary

2003     Hong Kong Art Walk, Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong

Open Your Eyes, Chen Yu and Yu Chen, Lotus Arts de Vivre and Schoeni Art   Gallery, Bangkok

2004     Hong Kong Art Walk, Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong

ChinArt, Stadtgalerie, Bydgoszcz, Poland

ChinArt, La Lonja, Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Through the Artists’ Eyes – A Tribute to Manfred Schoeni,

Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong

2005     Scent of a Woman, Escada, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong

2nd Annual Chinese International Gallery Exposition, Schoeni Art Gallery, World             Trade Centre Exhibition Hall, Beijing

2006     Schoeni Art Gallery Overseas Exhibitions:

Art Miami, Schoeni Art Gallery, Miami Beach Convention Center, USA

MiArt, 11th International Modern and Contemporary Art Fair, Milan, Italy

Hong Kong Art Walk, Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong

Beyond the Canvas, Shanghai Tang and Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong

The Chen Family Exhibition, paintings by Yu Chen, Chen Yu and Chen Li, Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong

Art Beijing, Schoeni Art Gallery, National Agricultural Exhibition Center, Beijing

2007     Hong Kong Art Walk, Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong

Art Beijing, Schoeni Art Gallery, National Agricultural Exhibition Center, Beijing

Art London, Schoeni Art Gallery, Royal Chelsea Hospital Grounds, London, England

RE-collection, A Retrospective Look at 15 Years of Art & Vision, Schoeni Art     Gallery’s 15th Anniversary Exhibition, Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong

2008     Hong Kong Art Walk, Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong

The Chen Family, Today Art Museum Gallery, Beijing, China

Publications

2001     One Eye Opened and One Eye Closed, published by Schoeni Art, Hong Kong

2005     An Eye for An Eye, published by Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong

2006     The Chen Family Exhibition, published by Schoeni Art Gallery.