Chen Kai, born 1990 in Wuhan, received his BFA in Oil Painting from Hubei Institute of Fine Arts in 2012, and an MFA from San Francisco Art Institute in 2018. He currently lives and works in Shanghai.
Chen Kai’s work deeply rooted in abstraction and the sublime, explores the intersections of light, color, nature, and the cosmos. Deploying laborious pointillism and glazing technique, He transforms simple ideas—be it a hue, a dot, or a word—into layered expressions of identity and emotion. The canvas is the artist’s sanctuary, a space where he fully embodies his being and potential. Through the meditative act of painting, Chen invites viewers to embark on a journey, one that transcends the visual and delves into the profound dialogues of self, space, and the sublime.
Chen was the recipient of the Headlands Graduate Fellowship Award in 2018, the Swatch Art Peace Hotel Artist Fellowship in 2019, and Leo Gallery Artist Residency in 2020. Chen’s works have been included in exhibitions at Leo Gallery, ART 021 Shanghai, Headlands Center for the Arts, Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, Root Division, Live Worms Gallery, CARe Doug Adams Gallery, and San Francisco Art Institute, among others. Chen’s works are in many prestige private collections in New York / San Francisco / Los Angeles, USA, UAE, Australia and Beijing / Shanghai, China.