Ding Yi

Ding Yi (b. 1962) was born and currently resides in Shanghai. The practice of Ding Yi encompasses painting, sculpture, spatial installation and architecture. He works primarily with “+” and its variant “x” as formal visual signals, above and against the political and social allegories typical of painting in China. He chose this sign in the second half of the 80s as a synonym of structure, rationality and of a pictorial expressiveness that reflects the essence of things.

Ding has exhibited extensively in group shows at institutions and galleries internationally, including at The British Museum, London (2021); M+ Museum, Hong Kong (2021); Power Station of Art, Shanghai (2020); San Francisco MoMA, San Francisco (2018-2019); Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York & Bilbao (2017-2018); Mercedes-Benz Contemporary, Berlin (2017); Centre Pompidou, Paris (2015); Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg (2015); Museo Nazionale Delle Arti Del XXI Secolo MAXXI, Rome (2011); Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing (2007); touring exhibitions at museums in Bern, Hamburger, Barcelona (2005-2009); Hamburger Bahnhof Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, Berlin (2001). His works have also been included in 45th Venice Biennale (1993), The First Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (1993), 11th Biennale of Sydney (1998), Yokohama 2001 International Triennale of Contemporary Art (2001), 6th Shanghai Biennale (2006), 7th Shenzhen Sculpture Biennale (2012), and 6th Busan Biennale (2016).

He has recent solo exhibitions at Ningbo Museum of Art and Huamao Museum of Art Education, Ningbo (both in 2023); Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning, Shenzhen (2023); Mojie Art Museum, Taiyuan (2023); TAG Art Museum, Qingdao (2022); Jebum-gang Art Center, Lhasa (2022); Galería RGR, Mexico City (2022); ShanghART Gallery, Shanghai (2018) and Singapore (2022); Timothy Taylor Gallery, New York (2021) and London (2019); Long Museum, Chongqing (2020) and West Bund, Shanghai (2015), Galerie Karsten Greve, Cologne (2020) and Paris & St. Moritz (2021); Nova Contemporary, Bangkok (2020); Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, Munich (2019); Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou (2018); Xi’an Art Museum, Xi’an (2017); Hubei Museum of Art, Wuhan (2016), Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai (2011); Museo d’Arte Modena di Bologna, Bologna (2008); and Ikon Gallery, Birmingham (2005).