Wright Auction

Versatile artist/designer Shao Fan was born in Beijing, China in 1964. His early exposure to the art world was shaped by his parents, who were university professors involved in creating graphic materials to promote a Maoist agenda during the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Shao showed an early talent for painting and earned a degree from Beijing Arts and Crafts College in 1984. Intrigued by the fusion of visual art and design, Shao immersed himself in three-dimensional art, blending his passion for design with a deep appreciation for Chinese culture.

Shao's distinctive approach required intensive research into woodcarving and ceramic techniques, which led to the development of his signature style. His work leverages ancient designs and reinterprets Ming Dynasty furniture with the sleek lines and geometry of contemporary aesthetics, in some cases, by introducing acrylic glass plates. Through this synthesis, Shao communicates the societal transformations inherent in modern-day China, utilizing Ming furniture as a conduit for expressing aspects of Chinese philosophy in an updated context.

Beyond furniture, Shao's artistic repertoire extends to oil paintings that reinterpret the traditional "literati" style of Chinese paintings. Characterized by stark and sober palettes, these works draw inspiration from Taoism, portraying a balanced representation of the natural world. In his paintings, detached from intellectualized constraints and Western influence, Shao explores Taoist concepts of integration with the Universe, aspiring to achieve the union of self and nature, especially through his colorless oil paintings featuring animals.

A creative pioneer in China with a growing international reputation, Shao paints, sculpts, and designs between worlds, seamlessly blending cultures, periods, and genres in bold, thought-provoking ways. Shao's painting was recognized by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, making him the first presently active Chinese artist exhibited there. His work is now also part of the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, the National Art Museum of China in Beijing, and other notable institutions.