WangJianwei, born in 1958 in Sichuan, China, is a pioneering figure in Chinese contemporary art. Since the 1990s, he has explored the impact of interdisciplinary knowledge synthesis on contemporary art, with research spanning philosophy, sociology, cultural studies, and anthropology. Wang employs a cross-disciplinary approach to create new artistic languages, working across film, theater, multimedia, installation, painting, and text.
In 1997, his documentary film ‘Production’ was exhibited at the 10th Documenta Kassel, Germany. He was invited to participate the 25th São Paulo Biennale (2002) and the 50th Venice Biennale (2003). In 2000, he wrote and directed ‘Paravent ’, a theater performance and video which was exhibited at Kunstenfestivaldesarts in Brussels and at the Brighton Fringe in Brighton. In 2010, his multimedia play ‘Welcome to the Desert of the Real’ presented in Beijing, Zurich, Geneva, and Basel. His cross-media works also include ‘Yellow Signal’ at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (2011) and solo exhibition ‘Time Temple’ at the Solomon R.Guggenheim Museum (2014) . In 2008, he has been awarded by Foundation for Contemporary Art (FCA) the "Grant Recipient". Wang's works have been exhibited at major international institutions, including the Centre Georges Pompidou in France, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Hayward Gallery in London, and the ICA Arts Centre in the UK.