San Gimignano
Beijing
Les Moulins
Habana
Roma
Sao Paulo
Paris
Sun Yuan was born in Beijing in 1972, Peng Yu was born in Heilongjiang in 1974 and subsequently moved to Beijing, where both of them currently live and work. These two prominent figures made their way together through the winding cultural situation of the 90’s in China, expressing their singularity without following the spectacular artistic mainstream of that period, being extremely provocative, challenging the moral standards that prevailed in the global art stream. The interest in unusual materials, the absorption of ancient conflicts and an extraordinary ability of intuition and foresight is what make their artworks intense and unique.
Sun Yuan and Peng Yu forge their artistic route walking straight on a tightrope without losing balance of the paradoxical concepts they pursue; the dichotomies between constants and contrasts, reality and ideals, clashes and harmonies. They express bluntly the communicative essence of a different art, far different from the typical contemporary din; oriented toward self-examination rather than mere provocation.
In expansion, their work can be taken as a meticulous study of life as much as it may be considered an indispensable experience, and additionally as a perpetual search of the essence as it differs from the evidence. For this purpose they stylistically and conceptually strive to alter the subject with audacity, in order to expose Truth stripped of all conventional barriers and to widen conceptual limits.
2019
Sun Yuan & Peng Yu, Galleria Continua, San Gimignano, Italy
2017
Hyper Real, National Gallery of Australia, Australia
2013
Le Coup du Fantome, Lille3000, Lille, France
Dear, Galerie Perrotin, Paris, France
2012
Hong Kong Intervention, ICA Gallery 1, Lasalle College of The Arts, Singapore
I am Here, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, US
2011
Hong Kong intervention, Vargas Museum in cooperation with Osage
Art Foundation, Quezon City, Philippines
Teenager Teenager, Arario Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
The world is a fine place for you to fight for, Galleria Continua, San Gimignano, Italy
2009
Freedom, Tang Contemporary Art, Beijing, China
Hong Kong Intervention, Osage, Hong Kong, China
2005
Higher, F2 Gallery, Beijing, China
2019
May You Live in Interesting Times, 58th Edition of Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy
2018
In The Assembly, K11 Museum, Shenyang, China
Art and China After 1989: The Theater of The World, Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain
2017
Asia Pacific Contemporary Art: Hello City, DMA Korea Daejeon Art Museum, Daejeon, South Korea
Art and China After 1989: The Theater of The World, Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA
Hyper Real, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia
2016
Why not ask again, 11th Shanghai Biennale, Power Station of Art, Shanghai, China
Tales of Our Time, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA
What about the Art? Contemporary Art from China, Qatar Museums (QMA), Doha, Qatar
2015
Myth/History II: Shanghai Galaxy, Yuz Museum, Shanghai, China
2014
Myth/History, Yuz Collection of Contemporary Art, Yuz Museum, Shanghai, China
15 Years Chinese Contemporary Art Award, Power Station of Art, Shanghai, China
Die 8 der wege: Kunst in Beijing, Uferhallen, Berlin, Germany
2013
A Triple Tour, Conciergerie, Paris, France
Asian art biennial — Everyday Life, National Taiwan Museum Of Fine Arts, Taichung, Taiwan
China China. Individuality - Collective, Pinchuk Art Centre, Kiev, Ukraine
2012
The angels of Klee, Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern, Switzerland
Art of Change-New Directions From China, Hayward Gallery, London, England
Go Figure! Contemporary Chinese Portraiture, National Portrait Gallery, Sydney, Australia
From Modern — 15 expressions of 15 artists, National Museum of China, Beijing, China (Sun Yuan participated in exhibition separately)
Facing walls, Opening windows, Galleria Continua, Beijing, China
Time Traveler, Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai, China
Trading Futures, Taipei Contemporary Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan
2012 Hong Kong International Art Fair, Hong Kong, China
Suspicion, Night breezes － Never ending Voyage, Tang Contemporary Art, Beijing, China
Worldly House _ Returning material, dOCUMENTA(13), Kassel, Germany
2011
Trap, Art Issue Project, Beijing, China
It won’t happen again, Galleria Continua Being, China
Great Performances, The Pace Gallery, Beijing, China
A Wedding, Para/Site Art Space, Hong Kong
2010
Trap, Issue Projects, Beijing, China
Arts and Cities, Aichi Triennal, Nagoya, Japan
Rem(a)inders, Galleria Continua, Beijing, China
Sydney Biennale 2010, Sydney, Australia
2009
Sphères, Galleria Continua / Le Moulin, Boissy-le-Chatel, France
Breaking Forecast: 8 Key Figures of China’s New Generation
Artists, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China
3rd Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia
Time Versus Fashion, Kunstverein Nuertingen, Nuertingen, Germany
2008
Shooting, Han Ji Yun Contemporary Space, Beijing, China
Fear, Wedel Fine Art, London, England
The Revolution Continues: New Chinese Art, The Saatchi, Gallery, London, England
Avant-garde China, The National Art Center, Tokyo; The National Museum of Art, Osaka; Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, Nagoya, Japan
Unmoved, Galleria Continua, Beijing, China
Go China? New World Order, Groninger Museum, Groningen, The Netherlands
7 Days, University of St. Thomas, Manila, Philippines (Sun Yuan, Peng Yu participated in exhibition respectively)
Bird Hunting, T Space, Beijing, China
One Hour, Xin Beijing Art Gallery, Beijing, China (Sun Yuan participated in exhibition separately)
China XXI Secolo: Arte fra identità e trasformazione, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome, Italy
Identity and Tolerance, 1st Mediations Biennale 2008, Poznan, Poland
2007
China Welcomes You, Kunsthaus Graz, Graz, Austria
$%?……@$!# ???, Tang Contemporary Art., Beijing, China
Invisible Vision, Han Ji Yun Contemporary Art Space, Beijing, China
Moscow Biennale of Contemporary art, Moscow, Russia
2006
Jiang Hu: Contemporary Chinese Art, Tilton Gallery, New York, US
Susi - Future & Fantasy, Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Manila, Philippines
Double - Kick Cracker, Tang Contemporary Art, Beijing, China
Special Project for China Pavilion, 2006 Liverpool Biennial, Liverpool, England
2005
Renovatio -Relations of Production, Long March Space, Beijing, China
Ten Thousand Years, Beijing, China
To Each His Own, Zero Field Experimental Art Centre, Beijing, China
Mah-jong Contemporary Chinese Art from the Sigg Collection, Kunstmuseum, Bern, Switzerland
Virgin Garden: Emersion, China Pavilion of The 51st Venice Biennale, Vergini Garden, Venice, Italy
2004
Kwangju Biennale, Kwangju, South Korea
Asian Traffic, Asia-Australia Arts Centre, Sydney, Australia
Is it Art? - Two Wrongs can make a Right, Museum Art Shanxi, Sian, China
Le moine et le demon, Museum Art Contemporary, Lyon, France
All Under Heaven, MuHKA: Museum of Contemporary Art, Antwerp, Belgium
2003
Left Wing, Left Bank, Beijing, China
Trojan Horse, Shenghua Arts Center, Nanjing, China
Second Hand Reality, Today art Museum, Beijing, China
Asian Short Film Festival, Bangkok, Thailand (Peng Yu participated in exhibition separately)
2002
The Adventures, Beijing, China (Peng Yu curated and participated in the exhibition)
The 1st Guangzhou Triennial, Guangzhou Art Museum, Guangzhou, China (Sun Yuan participated in exhibition separately)
Difference: ER + ZWEI, Tai Kang Top Space, Beijing, China (Peng Yu participated in exhibition separately)
2001
Get Out of Control, Berlin, Germany
International Triennial of Contemporary Art Yokohama, Yokohama, Japan
2000
The 5th Biennale of Contemporary Art, Lyon Museum of Contemporary Art, Lyon, France
Documentary Show of Chinese Avant – garde Art in the 1990's, Asia Museum, Fukuoka, Japan
Fuck Off!, Donglang Art Gallery, Shanghai, China (Sun Yuan, Peng Yu participated in exhibition respectively)
Indulge in Hurt, Sculpture Research fellow of Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China
A Feast of Art, Beijing, China
1999
Civilization and Life, Beijing, China (Peng Yu participated in exhibition separately)
Post-Sense Sensibility: Alien Bodies & Delusion, Group Exhibition the basement of Shao Yaoju apartment, Beijing, China (Sun Yuan participated in exhibition separately)
1998
Counter-Perspectives? The Environment & Us, Beijing, China (Sun Yuan, Peng Yu participated in exhibition respectively)
Inlays, Tongdao Gallery at Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China (Sun Yuan participated in exhibition separately)
