Chen Zhou's Color-Driven Video Art Explores Affective Experience and Sinofuturism
Chen Zhou, an artist from Shanghai born in 1987, originally hails from Zhejiang. He’s well-known for his distinctive use of color in both installation and video art. His 2013 exhibitions, 'I'm not not not Chen Zhou' at Magician Space in Beijing and the ON | OFF survey at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, took a deeper look at the color yellow, moving beyond its typical association with joy, which aligns with Henri Bergson's views on laughter. In 2014, he showcased a project at Aike-Dellarco in Shanghai that paid tribute to comedian Andy Kaufman. After spending time writing scripts in the countryside, he entered a 'blue period' that included the 2017 video 'Blue Hole,' reflecting themes of Sinofuturism. A 2009 graduate of the China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Chen's work has been displayed internationally, and Venus Lau highlighted him in ArtReview's January & February 2018 issue.
Key facts
- Chen Zhou was born in Zhejiang province in 1987 and is based in Shanghai.
- He works primarily with installation and video, known for saturating frames with symbolic colors.
- His 'yellow period' included the 2013 exhibition 'I'm not not not Chen Zhou' at Magician Space, Beijing.
- Chen participated in the ON | OFF survey of young Chinese artists at Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing in 2013.
- He explored laughter and comedy in a 2014 exhibition at Aike-Dellarco, Shanghai, titled after Andy Kaufman.
- His 'blue period' began with the 2017 video 'Blue Hole,' referencing Microsoft Windows' 'blue screen of death.'
- Chen graduated from China Central Academy of Fine Arts in 2009 and describes his work as 'hedonistic.'
- Venus Lau, artistic director at K11 Art Foundation, selected him for a feature in ArtReview's January & February 2018 issue.
Entities
Artists
- Chen Zhou
- Venus Lau
- Milan Kundera
- Raymond Carver
- Henri Bergson
- Andy Kaufman
Institutions
- Magician Space
- Ullens Center for Contemporary Art
- K11 Art Foundation
- China Central Academy of Fine Arts
- SH Contemporary
- Today Art Museum
- Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
- Centro per l'Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci
- Reina Sofía Museum
- ArtReview
- Aike-Dellarco
Locations
- Zhejiang province
- Shanghai
- Beijing
- China
- Prato
- Houston
- Madrid
- Spain
- Italy
- United States