Song Dong has been a significant figure in the development of Chinese conceptual art since the early 1990s. His practice incorporates performance, photography, projection, video and installation. Emerging from a strong Beijing-based avant-garde performance art community, Song Dong explores notions of perception and the ephemeral nature of existence. His political and financial circumstances have encouraged a solitary, meditative way of working in which ideas are expressed through inexpensive materials and small-scale works. In his photographic series and short video pieces, Song Dong uses sequenced images to explore a rapidly modernising China and to capture notions of transience and illusion in contemporary society.
1966
Born in Beijing, China
2007
Currently lives and works in Beijing, China
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2006
“EATING THE CITY PROJECT”, Selfridges public art program, The Red Mansion Foundation, London, UK
2005
“WASTE NOT”, Beijing Tokoy Art Project, Beijing 798 Factory, China
“THE 59th MINUTE”, Time Square, New York, USA
“THE 59th MINUTE”, Time Square, New York, USA
2004
“WATER WORKS”, Chinese Arts Center, Manchester, UK
2003
“SARS TIMES: SONG DONG AND YIN XIUZHEN”, video installations event, ISE Foundation, New York, USA
2002
“EYEBALL”, video installation and event, Beijing International Switching System Corporation Ltd. BISC, Beijing, China
“CHOPSTICKS: SONG DONG AND YIN XIUZHEN”, videos, installations and event, Chambers Fine Art, New York
“CHOPSTICKS: SONG DONG AND YIN XIUZHEN”, videos, installations and event, Chambers Fine Art, New York
2001
“CELEBRATION OF LIFE”, Courtyard Gallery, Beijing, China
2000
“SONG DONG IN LONDON”, Gasworks’ Open Studio and Tablet at the Tabernacle, London, UK (installation and performance)
1999
“JUMP”, Tian An Men, Beijing, China; Italy
1998
“TEMPORARY OFFICE CONSTRUCTION”, Gallery Tao, Beijing, China
1997
“SLAP”, Ruin for Arts, Berlin, Germany
1996
“TAKING IT OUT OF THE BROCADE BAG”, Forty-One Middle High School, Beijing, China
“PRINTING ON THE WATER”, Lhasa River, Tibet (performance)
“UNCOVERING”, Capital Normal University Museum, Beijing, China
“STILL BREATHING”, Tian An Men and Hou Hai, Beijing, China (performances)
“PRINTING ON THE WATER”, Lhasa River, Tibet (performance)
“UNCOVERING”, Capital Normal University Museum, Beijing, China
“STILL BREATHING”, Tian An Men and Hou Hai, Beijing, China (performances)
1995
“HEAVENLY SECRET”, Hou Hai Teahouse, Beijing, China (sound installation)
“BEI FANG”, Zhao Yao Gallery, Beijing, China
“SECRET DIVULGING”, Ban Shang Hu Tong No.23, Beijing, China
“CHINESE MEDICENE”, Bao Fang Hu Tong No.12, Beijing, China
“BEI FANG”, Zhao Yao Gallery, Beijing, China
“SECRET DIVULGING”, Ban Shang Hu Tong No.23, Beijing, China
“CHINESE MEDICENE”, Bao Fang Hu Tong No.12, Beijing, China
SINCE 1995 – ONGOING
“STONE THROWING ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE”
“WRITING DIARY WITH WATER”, private and personal
“WRITING DIARY WITH WATER”, private and personal
1994
“LIFE WITH CULTURAL NOODLES”, Ban Shang Hu Tong No.23; Forty-One Middle High School, Beijing, China (video and installation)
“ANOTHER LESSON: DO YOU WANT TO PLAY WITH ME?”, Central Academy of Fine Arts Gallery, Beijing, China (installation and performance)
“ANOTHER LESSON: DO YOU WANT TO PLAY WITH ME?”, Central Academy of Fine Arts Gallery, Beijing, China (installation and performance)
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2005
“ELEGANCE OF SILENCE”, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
“DO NOT INTERRUPT YOUR ACTIVITIES”, Royal College of Art Galleries, London, UK
“WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE…”, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, USA
“THE BIENNALE OF CONTEMPORARY CHINESE ART IN MONTPELLIER”, Montpellier, France
“ON THE WATER”, Munich, Germany
“ONLY ONE WALL”, Beijing Commune, Beijing, China
“DO NOT INTERRUPT YOUR ACTIVITIES”, Royal College of Art Galleries, London, UK
“WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE…”, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, USA
“THE BIENNALE OF CONTEMPORARY CHINESE ART IN MONTPELLIER”, Montpellier, France
“ON THE WATER”, Munich, Germany
“ONLY ONE WALL”, Beijing Commune, Beijing, China
2004
“HUMAN SCALE”, contemporary dance, Guangzhou, China
“CONCRETE HORIZONS: CHINESE CONTEMPORARY ART EXHIBITION”, Adam Art Gallery , Wellington, New Zealand
“VISUAL PERFORMANCE”, Walsh Gallery, Chicago, USA
“OFFICINA ASIA”, Contemporary Art Museum, Bologna, Rimini and Cesena, Italy
“THE MONK AND THE DEMON – CONTEMPORY ART FROM CHINA”, Contemporary Art Museum, Lyon, France
“IS IT ART?”, Art Museum, Xi An, China
“PLAY WITH ENERGY”, House of Shiseido, Tokyo, Japan
“ASIAN TRAFFIC”, 4A Gallery, Sydney, Australia
“26th SAO PAOLO BIENNALE”, Brazil
“CITY SINGLE”, National Studio of Contemporary Art, France
“FACES IN THE CROWD – PICTURING MODERN LIFE FROM MANET TO TODAY”, Whitechaple Gallery, London, UK
“CONCRETE HORIZONS: CHINESE CONTEMPORARY ART EXHIBITION”, Adam Art Gallery , Wellington, New Zealand
“VISUAL PERFORMANCE”, Walsh Gallery, Chicago, USA
“OFFICINA ASIA”, Contemporary Art Museum, Bologna, Rimini and Cesena, Italy
“THE MONK AND THE DEMON – CONTEMPORY ART FROM CHINA”, Contemporary Art Museum, Lyon, France
“IS IT ART?”, Art Museum, Xi An, China
“PLAY WITH ENERGY”, House of Shiseido, Tokyo, Japan
“ASIAN TRAFFIC”, 4A Gallery, Sydney, Australia
“26th SAO PAOLO BIENNALE”, Brazil
“CITY SINGLE”, National Studio of Contemporary Art, France
“FACES IN THE CROWD – PICTURING MODERN LIFE FROM MANET TO TODAY”, Whitechaple Gallery, London, UK
2003
“LANDSCAPES”, Shanghai Gallery of Art, China
“NEW PERSPECTIVES IN CHINESE PAINTING”, Marella Arte Contemporanea, Milan, Italy
“CHINA’S PHOTOGRAPHIC PAINTING”, China Art Seasons, 798 Art Zone, Beijing, China
“NEW PERSPECTIVES IN CHINESE PAINTING”, Marella Arte Contemporanea, Milan, Italy
“CHINA’S PHOTOGRAPHIC PAINTING”, China Art Seasons, 798 Art Zone, Beijing, China
2003
“HOW LATITUDES BECOME FORMS: ART IN A GLOBAL AGE”, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, USA
“OPEN ERA”, National Art Museum of China, China
“ALORS,LA CHINE: CHINESE CONTEMPORARY ART”, Center Pompidou, Paris, France
“8th ISTANBUL BIENNALE”, Istanbul, Turkey
“LEFT HAND, RIGHT HAND”, Beijing 798 New Art zone, China
“SECOND AHND REALITY”, Today art Gallery, Beijing, China
LIJING INTERNATIONAL ART WORKSHOP”, Lijiang Mu Palace, China
“EVERY DAY – CONTEMPORARY ART FROM CHINA, JAPAN, KOREA, THAILAND”, Kunstforeningen, Copenhagen, Denmark
“TOGETHER WITH FARMERWORKERS”, Today Art Gallery, Beijing, China
“OPEN SKY”, Duolun MOMA, Shanghai, China
“LEFT-WING”, Beijing, China
“OPEN ERA”, National Art Museum of China, China
“ALORS,LA CHINE: CHINESE CONTEMPORARY ART”, Center Pompidou, Paris, France
“8th ISTANBUL BIENNALE”, Istanbul, Turkey
“LEFT HAND, RIGHT HAND”, Beijing 798 New Art zone, China
“SECOND AHND REALITY”, Today art Gallery, Beijing, China
LIJING INTERNATIONAL ART WORKSHOP”, Lijiang Mu Palace, China
“EVERY DAY – CONTEMPORARY ART FROM CHINA, JAPAN, KOREA, THAILAND”, Kunstforeningen, Copenhagen, Denmark
“TOGETHER WITH FARMERWORKERS”, Today Art Gallery, Beijing, China
“OPEN SKY”, Duolun MOMA, Shanghai, China
“LEFT-WING”, Beijing, China
2002
“2002 ARCO”, Madrid, Spain
“2002 GWANGJU BIENNALE”, Gwangju, Korea
“ON MY WAY TO TIMBUKTU…”, ifa Gallery, Berlin, Germany
“LONGMARCH”, China
“The 4th ASIA-PACIFIC TRIENNIAL OF CONTEMPORARY ART”, Queensland Art Gallery, Australia
“WHAT? A TALE IN FREE IMAGES”, Memling Museum, Brugge, Belgium
“2002 GUANGZHOU TRIENNIAL”, Guangdong Museum of Art, China
“2002 TAIPEI BIENNALE”, Taipei Art Museum, Taiwan
“SHOT IN THE FACE”, Earl Lu Gallery, Lasalle SIA College of the Arts, Singapore 4th Annual Video Marathon, Art In General, New York, USA
“ON THE WAY AFTER TIMBUKTU”, IFA Gallery, Berlin, Germany
“GWANGJU BIENNALE 2002: PROJECTS 1 & 2 – PAUSE, CONCEPTION”, Korea
“2002 GWANGJU BIENNALE”, Gwangju, Korea
“ON MY WAY TO TIMBUKTU…”, ifa Gallery, Berlin, Germany
“LONGMARCH”, China
“The 4th ASIA-PACIFIC TRIENNIAL OF CONTEMPORARY ART”, Queensland Art Gallery, Australia
“WHAT? A TALE IN FREE IMAGES”, Memling Museum, Brugge, Belgium
“2002 GUANGZHOU TRIENNIAL”, Guangdong Museum of Art, China
“2002 TAIPEI BIENNALE”, Taipei Art Museum, Taiwan
“SHOT IN THE FACE”, Earl Lu Gallery, Lasalle SIA College of the Arts, Singapore 4th Annual Video Marathon, Art In General, New York, USA
“ON THE WAY AFTER TIMBUKTU”, IFA Gallery, Berlin, Germany
“GWANGJU BIENNALE 2002: PROJECTS 1 & 2 – PAUSE, CONCEPTION”, Korea
2001
“LIVING IN TIME”, Museum fur Gegenwart, Hamburg Station, Germany
“REINVENTING THE IMAGES AND SIGNS”, Huanyu Jingdian Cultural Centre, Beijing, China
“TRAVELLERS’ TALES”, InIVA Online
“KALEIDOSCOPE”, Art Beatus Gallery, Vancouver, Canada
“VIRTUAL FUTURE: AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE CONTEMPORARY ART: THE 21st CENTURY CHINESE ARTS ANTHOLOGY”, Guandong Museum of Art, China
“REINVENTING THE IMAGES AND SIGNS”, Huanyu Jingdian Cultural Centre, Beijing, China
“TRAVELLERS’ TALES”, InIVA Online
“KALEIDOSCOPE”, Art Beatus Gallery, Vancouver, Canada
“VIRTUAL FUTURE: AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE CONTEMPORARY ART: THE 21st CENTURY CHINESE ARTS ANTHOLOGY”, Guandong Museum of Art, China
2000
“18th WORLD WIDE VIDEO FESTIVAL”, Amsterdam, Netherlands
“CANCELLED: EXHIBITING EXPERMENTL ART IN CHINA”, Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago, USA
“EXPO 2000 HANNOVER”, Germany
“2000 CHINA: INTERNET VIDEO AND PHOTO ART”, Jilin Provincial Art Academy, China
“FUCK OFF”, Eastlink Gallery, Shanghai, China
“NEW CONCEPTUAL PHOTOGRAPHY: CHINA SCENE”, Century Theatre, Beijing, China
“MICROWAVE FESTIVAL 2000”, Hong Kong, Chengdu Contemporary Art Museum, China
“UNUSUAL AND USUAL: A CONTEMPORARY ART EXHIBITION”, Yuangong Modern Art Museum, Shanghai, China
“CANCELLED: EXHIBITING EXPERMENTL ART IN CHINA”, Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago, USA
“EXPO 2000 HANNOVER”, Germany
“2000 CHINA: INTERNET VIDEO AND PHOTO ART”, Jilin Provincial Art Academy, China
“FUCK OFF”, Eastlink Gallery, Shanghai, China
“NEW CONCEPTUAL PHOTOGRAPHY: CHINA SCENE”, Century Theatre, Beijing, China
“MICROWAVE FESTIVAL 2000”, Hong Kong, Chengdu Contemporary Art Museum, China
“UNUSUAL AND USUAL: A CONTEMPORARY ART EXHIBITION”, Yuangong Modern Art Museum, Shanghai, China
1999
“TRANSIENCE: CHINESE EXPERIMENTAL ART AT THE END OF THE 20th Century”, Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago, USA; Amsterdam Fest, Netherlands
“KHOJ ’99: INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS’ WORKSHOP”, The British Council Gallery, New Delhi, India
“CITIES ON THE MOVE 7”, Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, Finland
“AT THE NEW CENTURY 1979-1999 CHINA CONTEMPORARY ART’S WORKS”, Chengdu Contemporary Art Museum, China
“BEIJING DOCUMENT”, Goethe Institute, Beijing, China
“FAST FORWARD: NEW CHINESE VIDEO ART”, Centro de Arte Contemporanea de Macau, Hong Kong
“ART FOR SALE”, Shanghai Square, China
“TRANSMEDIALE ’99”, Berlin, Germany
“7th INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ART BIENNALE, Wroclaw, Poland
“NEXT GENERATION’S INSTRUCTIONS TO DEAL WITH EMEREGENCIES”, Dong Fang Children’s Centre, Shanghai, China
“KHOJ ’99: INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS’ WORKSHOP”, The British Council Gallery, New Delhi, India
“CITIES ON THE MOVE 7”, Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, Finland
“AT THE NEW CENTURY 1979-1999 CHINA CONTEMPORARY ART’S WORKS”, Chengdu Contemporary Art Museum, China
“BEIJING DOCUMENT”, Goethe Institute, Beijing, China
“FAST FORWARD: NEW CHINESE VIDEO ART”, Centro de Arte Contemporanea de Macau, Hong Kong
“ART FOR SALE”, Shanghai Square, China
“TRANSMEDIALE ’99”, Berlin, Germany
“7th INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ART BIENNALE, Wroclaw, Poland
“NEXT GENERATION’S INSTRUCTIONS TO DEAL WITH EMEREGENCIES”, Dong Fang Children’s Centre, Shanghai, China
1998
“INSIDE OUT: NEW CHINESE ART”, Asia Society Galleries, New York, USA; Australia
“IT’S ME! A PROFILE OF CHINESE CONTEMPORARY ART IN THE ’90s”, Forbidden City, Taimiao, Beijing, China
“SPACE AND VISION: THE IMPRESSION OF TRANSMUTING DAILY LIVES IN BEIJING 1998”, Beijing Contemporary Art Gallery, China
“SITE ART PROJECT”, Walking Museum in Takashimaya, Tokyo, Japan
“TRANSMEDIALE ’98”, Berlin, Germany
“TRACE OF EXISTENCE: A PRIVATE SHOWING OF CHINA CONTEMPORARY ART ’98”, Art Now Studio, Beijing, China
“IT’S ME! A PROFILE OF CHINESE CONTEMPORARY ART IN THE ’90s”, Forbidden City, Taimiao, Beijing, China
“SPACE AND VISION: THE IMPRESSION OF TRANSMUTING DAILY LIVES IN BEIJING 1998”, Beijing Contemporary Art Gallery, China
“SITE ART PROJECT”, Walking Museum in Takashimaya, Tokyo, Japan
“TRANSMEDIALE ’98”, Berlin, Germany
“TRACE OF EXISTENCE: A PRIVATE SHOWING OF CHINA CONTEMPORARY ART ’98”, Art Now Studio, Beijing, China