Born in Xi'an, China. As a teenager, Xing Danwen took a professional study in painting at the primary art school affiliated to the Xi'an Academy of Fine Art from 1982-1986. She continued painting and did her BFA at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing from 1989-1992. In the late 80s, she discovered photography and was immediately drawn into this medium. As a self-taught photographer she was the one of a few artists in late 80s and 90s in China that was exploring the bounderies of photography and using photography as an art form. Through the camera, she observed and challenged the questions on the chinese society, humanity, female identity and the generation that was born 60s. With an ACC grant and fellowship, she enriched her artistic experience and improvement her knowledge of photography and new media during her MFA study at the School of Visual Arts in New York from 1998-2001. In her current art-practice she works, beside photography, also in the field of video and multi-media installations. Xing Danwen exhibits domestically and internationally and her works are collected widely by museums and private collectors. Her artistic practice is both rich and varied and her subjects include: Dislocation between cultural status, conflicts between globalization and traditions, problematic environmental issues created by the developemnt, the urban drama between the desire and reality. Fiction, truth and illusion often play an important role in her works. She currently lives and works in Beijing. For a full biography please contact the gallery.
