Born and based in Shanghai, China, Fang Wei (b. 1968) completed his studies in Shanghai Arts & Crafts Institute. He is known for his dream-like paintings. Fang does not draw from a pre-existing repository of subjects and themes. Instead, he allows his imagination to run wild and manifest itself in his colorful palette, using vivid colors to express the depth and emotionality of the characters and scenes he portrays. He focuses on the essence of human nature; embracing the excitement, fear, loneliness, ecstasy and alienation that is an integral part of the human condition. Through his command of the absurd, he creates fantastical landscapes by employing surrealist techniques and a skillful application of vibrant swaths of paint.
The characters that Fang creates are of utmost importance. Men, women, statues or idols are transformed by the touch of his paintbrush. He seamlessly blends the colors that stain his canvas, fostering an atmosphere of chaos and ambiguity. His large-scale creations are dominated by multiple human forms that melt into the saturated landscape. These seemingly random forms are actually meticulously constructed - creations of a genius who uses paint to articulate what he sees in his mind’s eye. These busy paintings are overflowing with primitive mysticism, boasting an array of dizzying psychedelic hues that lull observers into a state of hypnosis.