Guo Hongwei

Born in Chengdu, China in 1982 and now based in Beijing, Guo Hongwei has gained international recognition in the contemporary art world for his unconventional treatment of his chosen medium and the simplicity at which he renders his subject matter. He first established his career and name with a series of work that is highly personal in nature. They are based on his own childhood photographs and mostly monochromatic in colour. What stands out is his technique of building and blurring his images, achieved from applying and diluting each layer of paint; which is meant to mimic the way memories get eroded, replaced and deleted. Using a similar technique, he moved on to other subject matter, such as everyday or mundane objects, nature and animals. The subject matter is not as important as the composition and treatment of them, and the artist’s idea behind it all.