Being one of the five artists selected to attend the Venice Biennale in 2011, Liang Yuanwei was born in Xi'an in 1977 and was enrolled in the Department of Graphic Design, School of Design at China Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1995 and received her Bachelor's Degree of Fine Arts in 1999. From 2001 through to 2004, she continued to pursue postgraduate education at CAFA and earned her Master's degree. As a member of the active art group N12, Liang started to hold exhibitions which attract world-wide attention when she was an undergraduate. From 2004 to 2006, she worked as a teaching assistant in CAFA. Since 2006, she has lived and worked in Beijing as a freelance artist. A young artist as she is, she is concerned about the wiring points of happiness and repression in our daily life with the use of linguistic semiotics in her photography, paintings and installations. Most of her work focuses on privacy, communication among people, personal feelings and the consequent affection that they bring. What's special about Liang Yuanwei is that her works refer to a broader exploration of social subjects instead of the ideal female subjects unique to female artists.
Interview Date: July 1th, 2011
Interview Location: Liang Yuanwei's Studio in Huantie Art District, Beijing
Reporter: Liu Le
Photography: Wang Haoning
Editor: Yang Yanyuan
Courtesy of the artist and CAFA ART INFO.