Chen Fei is amongst some of the most prominent emerging talents of China’s post 80’s generation, with works already being auctioned at major international auctions, such as Sotheby’s New York and Phillips de Pury London. A native of Shandxi province, Chen graduated from the fine art department of the renowned Beijing Film Academy. He has proved himself a multi-talent through his success and achievement in both fine art and film scenes, frequently participating in solo and group art exhibitions, as well as films as art director.

Chen Fei’s style is characterised by his tongue in cheek humour, at times bold representations and its “superflat” approach. The combination of colours and patterns – often involving special sequence, composition and minute details – employed by Chen is also notable and unique. Many of Chen Fei’s pieces revolve around his everyday life, which mainly consists of his girlfriend and his dog, as he himself often refers himself as “a family man”. In fact, such preference in depicting individualistic preoccupations, or obsessions as opposed to societal concerns, is also representative of a common trend found in the attitude of the post 80’s generation. Their work strongly reflects intense influences from the world of anime, and more importantly, an era of consumerism and globalisation. The wooden stickmen from Chen Fei’s We Are Wooden Dolls Series perfectly illustrate the aforementioned hypothesis.

Chen Fei believes that a lot of people do like certain ugly or not-so-pretty things, and the fact that they are not exactly “beautiful” does not necessarily mean that they are no good, even though such preference may be considered as “bad taste”. In explaining the theory behind his exhibition title, the artist comments: “I have my own set of system, values and philosophy, thus this series of ‘bad’ taste will be revealed in my work from time to time. This is why I have chosen this exhibition title, to differentiate it from the others.” Filmic influence is also a predominant factor found in Chen Fei’s oeuvre, the artist explains, “I can’t say I was not affected, because what I have seen and learnt will be expressed in my work. In short, I just really like films, and this passion would always somehow be revealed unintentionally. Watching films is a very important channel through which I gain knowledge.” In Bad Taste exhibition, we will also be showcasing a series of Chen’s recent works that consist of his depiction of protagonists in well known films, such as Leon the Professional and Kill Bill. Chen Fei reinterprets his favourite characters, fascinated by their roles and amused by their unique circumstances that can only exist within the big screen, as he explains “What attracts me most about these characters is that they do not need to follow the rules of society. For example, the killers do not get punished by law for their killing deeds, while on the contrary they receive respect from the audience.”

Chen Fei is without doubt a noteworthy talent of his generation, who possesses extraordinary potential, artistic genius and the proper bold attitude that will push his artistic career to further heights. He has already participated in Schoeni’s Niubi Newbie Kids exhibition series in 2008 and 2009 respectively, in the latter he showcased an edition of 88 plaster skulls entitled Because God Loves Me Series, aiming to challenge religion with the number “8” being an auspicious number in Buddhism, while at the same time responding to Damien Hirst’s diamond skulls, as he ironically conveys his belief that the true value of art lies within its creativity not in the value of materials.