Cheng Ran

Born in 1981 in Inner Mongolia, China

Living and working in Hangzhou, China

Major solo exhibitions
2019
Miraculous Trajectories, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center (HKCEC), Hong Kong, China (screening performance is jointly presented by Installation Structure for M Sum in Hong Kong and Art Basel HK) 2018
The Lament:
Mountain Ghost, Ota Fine Arts, Shanghai, China
Echoes of Möbius, Mezcalito, Hong Kong, China (performance)
Diary of a Madman:
Trilogy, Center for Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv, Israel
2017
Thirteen Cigarettes, Cheng Ran & Thirteen Cinema, LA NON-MAISON, Paris, France
The Reaillusion, chi K11 Art Foundation, Shanghai, China
Diary of a Madman, Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne, Beijing, China
Neoclassical Style, Gallery Weekend Beijing, Galerie Urs Meile 798, Beijing, China (Performance)
Cheng Ran-In Course of the Miraculous, MAC, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Cheng Ran:
Selected Films, Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland
2016
Diary of a Madman, New Museum, New York, USA
In Course of the Miraculous, K11 Art Foundation, Hong Kong, China
Orange Blue, Qiao Space, Shanghai, China
2015
Orange Blue-Movies in Progress, Meta-Space, Beijing, China
Movies in Progress, Galerie Urs Meile Beijing-Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland
In Course of the Miraculous, Galerie Urs Meile Beijing-Lucerne, Beijing, China
Orange Blue, Art Nest Hotel, Hangzhou, China
2014
Always I Trust, Armada, Milan, Italy
Simply Wild, Art Discoveries, Art Basel HK, Hong Kong, China
A Telephone Booth Romance, LEO XU PROJECTS, Shanghai, China
2013
Existence without Air, Food or Water, Galerie Urs Meile Beijing-Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland
The Last Generation, Galerie Urs Meile Beijing-Lucerne, Beijing, China
Cheng Ran, Video Bureau, Guangzhou, China
Important experiences, stories and point of views
Cheng Ran was born in Inner Mongolia in 1981. He was the resident artist in Rijksakademie Van Beeldende Kunsten from 2013 to 2014 and founded Martin Goya Business in 2017.

As a representative of China’s new generation of image and cross-media artists, Cheng Ran have tried different artistic forms such as movies, poetry, dramas, novels and installations, but he does not stick to any specific material or media, reflecting a desultory and abstract spirit of experimental exploration. In his works, he always transforms the original space, structure and perception.

Cheng's transformation of text and visual language enables viewers to wander between reality and imagination, experiencing a void poetry. He reorganizes these aesthetic elements to form his own unique artistic language. These works all reflect the psychological state of the Chinese younger generation under the impact of political and cultural globalization. Cheng Ran no longer pays attention to the so-called identity, but finds new values from multiple cultures. It seems that the artist’s self-judgment is hidden, but this is precisely the embodiment of the his autonomy in creation. Therefore, Cheng Ran’s works reflect his thoughts on the themes from various aspects, such as boundaries, differences, even resistance and marginalization.

In 2019, Cheng Ran received the Award for Emerging Artist. In 2017, Best Director Award of Madrid Video Arts Festival. In 2015 and 2016, selected in Best Young Artist Award of Art China. In 2015, selected in El Huber Art Award and nominated for the Stockholm Absolute Arts Award, and selected as the Best Young Video Artist by Randian Magazine, in 2014. Cheng Ran’s art works are widely collected by art galleries and institutions, including: M+ Visual Art Museum DSL Collections,France Domus Collection, New York New Century Art Foundation White Rabbit Gallery, Australia Guangzhou Art Gallery Shanghai Art Museum Zhejiang Art Museum K11 Art Foundation Borusan Foundation, Turkey The Walther Collection, Germany Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten Erlenmeyer Foundation, Switzerland

As a cross-media artist, Cheng Ran has cooperated with celebrities like Carina Lau, Zhao Liying, and Jennifer, etc. on the video works, including multiple music collaborations with: Wang Wen, Shao Yanpeng, B6, Valley, Wang Wenwei, Xu Jun and While We Still Have Bodies New York, etc. Cheng Ran went on a show tour in Paris, Milan, and Amsterdam with Soviet Pop, Li Jianhong, Li Qing, Vavbond and Wang Ziheng on the topic of Simply Wild.

Cheng Ran was also a practitioner of cross-domain culture, mover who broke away from arts, commerce, and public culture. He was commissioned with design work by many brands and institutions, including: Gucci, Audemars Piguet, Nina Ricci, Chow Tai Fook, JNBY+, Assemble by Réel, Trumpchi, Thething, Dover Street Market Beijing, and Art021, etc. As well as numerous media and magazine coverage in: New York Times, the New Yorker, Visionaire, Modern Weekly, BAZAAR ART, The Paper, South China Morning Post, GQ, Flash Art, Mousse, and Kaleidoscope, etc. In March 2016, Cheng Ran’s work was on the cover of the famous British art magazine Frieze.