1965
Born in Hebei, China
1991
Graduated from China Academy of Art, Beijing, China
Currently lives and works in Beijing and Hong Kong
Solo Exhibitions
2009
“Sparkling - Upgraded”, UCCA, Beijing, China
“Sparking Double”, Tang Contemporary Art, Hong Kong
2008
“Sparkling Aspen”, Aspen Art Museum, Aspen, The United States
“Sparkling Yan lei Artworks”, Xin Beijing Gallery, Beijing, China
2007
Yanlei Solo Exhibition, Robert Miller Gallery, New York, the United States
“Dogzstar Project”, Gallery Continua, San Gimignano, Italy
“Support”, Shanghai Gallery of Art, Shanghai, China
2006
“Super Lights- Hong Kong”, HK Art Centre, Hong Kong
2005
“Super Lights”, Gallery Urs Meile, Lucerne, Switzerland
2003
“Climbing Space”, Gallery Urs Meile, Lucerne, Switzerland
2002
Yan Lei Solo Exhibition, Gallery Loft, Paris, France
2001
“International Scenery”, China Art Archives & Warehouse, Beijing, China
1999
“At the Frontiers of Capitalism”, Museum of Site, Hong Kong
1995
“Invasion”, Beijing Junior Art Theatre, Beijing, China
Group Exhibitions
2009
“The New Attitude of Image”, Tang Contemporary Art, Beijing, China
“The State of Tings”, Bozar, Brussels, Belgium
2008
“Christian Dior & Chinese Artists”, UCCA, Beijing, China
2007
12 Documenta Kassel, Kassel, Germany
10th International Istanbul Biennial, Istanbul, Turkey
2006
“Entry Gate: Chinese Aesthetics of Heterogeneity”- MOCA Biennale, Museum of Contemporary Art, Shanghai, China
“On the Edge: Contemporary Chinese Artists Encounter the West”, Davis Museum and Cultural Center, Wellesley College, Massachusetts; USA and Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indiana, The United States
2005
The Second Guangzhou Triennial, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou, China
“Out of Sight”, De Appel Art Center, Amsterdam, The Netherland
“Mahjong” - Chinese Contemporary Art from the Sigg Collection, Kunstmuseum Bern, Switzerland
“On the Edge”- Contemporary Chinese Artists Encounter the West, Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, Stanford, The United States
2004
“A l'Est du Sud de l'Ouest”, Centre National d'Art Contemporain, Ste, France
“Beyond Boundaries”, Three on the Bund, Shanghai, China
“Open Sky”, Duolun Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai, China
2003
50th Biennale di Venezia, Zones of Urgency, Italy
“Alors, la Chine”, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
“The Fifth System: Public Art in the Age of Post-Planning”- 5th Shenzhen Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition, He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen, China
2002
25th Sao Paulo Biennale, Cidades, Brazil
Shanghai Biennale, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, China
The First Guangzhou Triennial, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou, China
The Fourth Gwangju Biennale, Pause, Korea
2001
“Polypolis”- Contemporary Art from South East Asia, Kunsthaus, Hamburg, Germany
“City Slang”- The First Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Art from the Pearl River Delta, Artist Commune, Hong Kong
1st Chengdu Biennale, Chengdu Modern Art Museum, Chengdu, China
2000
Unusual & Usual Contemporary Art Exhibition, Yuangong Modern Art Museum, Shanghai, China
1999
The Contemporary Art Exhibition China, Korea and Japan, Museum of Pusan University, Pusan, Korea
“Fast Forward” - Video Art Exhibition from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, Macau Contemporary Art Centre, Macau
“Unveiled Reality”, Contemporary Chinese Photography, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
“China Maze”, Gallery OTSO, Espoo, Finland
1998
“Images Telling Stories (Beautiful like Materialism)”, Shanghai University Art Museum, Shanghai, China
“It's Me”, Tai Temple of the Forbidden City, Beijing, China
1997
“New Asia, New City, New Art”- Contemporary Art Exhibition, Shanghai Contemporary Art Museum, Shanghai, China
1996
“Phenomenon and Image”, Gallery of Zhejing Academy of Fine Arts, Hangzhou, China
1995
“China's New Art”- Post'89, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada; Hong Kong Art Center, Hong Kong
1994
Exhibition of Contemporary Photography from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong
1989
“China/Avant-Garde”, China Art Museum, Beijing, China
