RENKE ART is pleased to present "Spring Blossoms: Artworks by Chen Yu"  from March 26 to May 8, 2023. The exhibition focuses on more than 50 new works created by the artist during the three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, covering a wide range of themes from his visual creation dictionary, including the Portrait Series (Contemporary Chinese ink), My Sun - Hometown Series and some images of everyday life (oil painting),  Contemporary Ceramics Series (sculpture), In order to more fully show the artist's deep exploration of his creative language.

Chen Yu does not limit himself to the traditional definition of painting types, by breaking the boundaries of several art categories such as Chinese painting, oil painting, printmaking and calligraphy. His ability to skillfully manipulate various materials as well as his unique spiritual expression methods has made him one of the most sought-after post-70s artists. This exhibition is Chen Yu's third solo exhibition held at Renke Art, following “One Hundred Van Gogh” in 2019 and "One Thousand and One Picasso" in 2021. 

How can humanity heal the trauma of the past few years and re-imagine the survival guidelines of the future? By observing the artist's experience and attitude of individual creation during the past three years of the pandemic, this exhibition establishes a positive attitude of facing the reality and looking forward to the future. The title of the exhibition, 'Spring Blossoms', comes from the poem 'Facing the Sea With Spring Blossoms', written by the contemporary Chinese poet Hai Zi in 1989. These words, full of hope in despair, signify the return of the exuberant spirit and the desire to rebuild human social order in the post-pandemic era. Faced with the spiritual wasteland of modern people, the German philosopher Friedrich William Nietzsche, in his book "The Birth of Tragedy", proposed the "Dionysian spirit", "Affirmation of life even in its strangest and sternest problems". Like the poet Hai Zi, Chen Yu and his spontaneous combustion of artistic creations form the iconic model of Dionysian worship. "In my work, the emotional and violent Dionysian impulse is expressed in the picture, trying to express the reawakening and all-round bursting of the inexhaustible life energy after the pandemic”.

Chen Yu, a freelance painter, now living in Songzhuang, Beijing. He was born in Leizhou, Guangdong Province in 1975 and graduated with a master degree from the Oil Painting Department, Guangzhou College of Fine Arts in 2008.

Major Solo Exhibition

One Thousand and One Picasso: Chen Yu Exhibition, Renke Art (2021); Portrait of the Soul: Chen Yu Exhibition, LIBRAIRIE AVANT-GARDE (2021); Children of Civilization: Chen Yu Exhibition, Horizon Art Museum (2019); One Hundred Van Gogh: Chen Yu Exhibition, Renke Art (2019); Poem Of Portrait: Chen Yu Exhibition·Da Lian, Da Lian, Liao Ning Art Museum (2019); West East, Forever Young: Robert Priseman & Chen Yu’s Portrait Painting Exhibitions, Yantai Art Museum,Shandong (2019); Chen Yu’s Poet Portrait Painting Exhibitions, Weihai Art Museum, Shandong (2019); Thinkers: Chen Yu’s Poet Portrait Painting Exhibitions, Yantai Art Museum, Shandong (2018-2019); The Somnambulist Playing Chess: Chen Yu’s Poet Portrait Painting Exhibitions, Qingdao (2018); The Pleasure of a Capsized Boat: A Portrait Exhibition of Poet Giuseppe Ungaretti, Beijing (2018); King of the Wind and Light: A Portrait Exhibition of Poet Adonis, Guangzhou (2018); A Portrait of Poetry: Solo Exhibitions, Macau (2018); Other Mountains: Chen Yu’s Hill Stone Exhibitions, Beijing (2017); Chen Yu: Poet Portrait Exhibitions, Guangzhou (2017); Chen Yu: Poet Portrait Exhibitions, Guangzhou (2017); Light Trampler: Chen Yu’s Painting Exhibitions, Beijing (2016); Bottleneck: Chen Yu’s Painting Exhibitions, Beijing (2016); Cattail-Leaf Fan: Chen Yu’s Painting Exhibitions, Shenyang (2016); Chen Yu’s Oil Painting Exhibitions, Macao (2012); Chen Yu & Liu Liqi’s Oil Painting Exhibitions, Panyu (2012); Hot Wind: Chen Yu’s Oil Painting Exhibitions, Guangzhou (2012); Chen Yu’s Parole: Chen Yu’s Oil Painting Exhibitions, Dongguan (2011); WWWQ: Four Diagnostic Methods Art Exhibitions, Changan, Guangdong as the second stop (2006); WWWQ: Four Diagnostic Methods Art Exhibitions, Dongguan as the first stop (2006); Chen Yu’s Personal Oil Painting Exhibitions, Zhuhai (2003).

Major Collaborative Exhibitions

Post-Epidemic Era: Is It ”Involved” ?, Renke Art (2021); ONE&ONE, Chengdu (2021); Post-Epidemic Era: Western Classics Eastern Contemporary, Renke Art (2020); First Contemporary China-British Biennial Art Exhibitions, Yantai (2018); Contemporary Chinese Art Invitational Exhibitions, Zhangjiagang (2015); Micro Art Exhibitions, Beijing (2015); China-Korea International Art Exchange Exhibitions, Beijing (2015); Image out of Images: Contemporary Ten Artists Abstract Painting Exhibitions, Shanghai (2014); Micro Painting Exhibitions, Beijing (2014); Self-portrait Exhibitions, Beijing (2013); Everyone Art Oil Painting Exhibitions, Beijing (2013); First Cultural Ocean Art Highlands Exhibitions, Guangzhou (2012); Southern Youth Art 100 Exhibitions, Guangzhou (2012); Box Inside and Outside: Width 5Contemporary Art Exhibitions, Beijing (2012); Inside and Outside: Contemporary Art Exhibitions, Guangzhou (2012); Hong Kong - First International Chinese Oil Painting Exhibitions, Guangzhou (2012); Line 3 Art Space Painting Exhibitions, Guangzhou (2011); Unique Landscape: Eight Artists’ Interpretation of Nature, Guangzhou (2011); 4th Exhibition of Youth Apartment, Shanshan Space, Shantou (2011); Line 3 Oil Painting Exhibitions, Italian Embassy, Guangzhou (2010); Contemporary Image: Chinese Emerging Artist Joint Exhibitions, Foshan (2010); 3rd Exhibition of Youth Apartment, Guangdong Art Museum, Guangzhou (2009).

Major Collection

National Art Museum of China (Beijing), Songzhuang Art Center (Beijing), Beijing Museum of Contemporary Art (Beijing), Guangdong Art Museum (Guangzhou), Art Museum of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (Guangzhou), Yantai Art Museum (Yantai), Weihai Art Museum (Weihai), Dalian Art Museum (Dalian).