Bio

Born in China’s Shandong Province, Zhen Guo lived her early years during China’s “Cultural Revolution,” when that nation was dominated by political turmoil and arts were repressed. She felt the effect of  repressive government but survived as part of a new generation which emerged creating art distinctly Chinese while reflecting artistic influences from the West.

 

After graduating from the esteemed China Art College in 1982, she stayed to become the first female teacher in the Chinese Painting Department since the Cultural Revolution. Zhen immigrated to the United States in 1986, leaving behind her family, status, and position to pursue her artistic visions freely. As she settled into her new  country, her art matured, migrating from an optimistic, romantic vision to exploring the nexus of emotion and art and the struggles of women face in seeking their place as full citizens in the world.

 

Zhen’s art has been exhibited widely in China and throughout the United States and cities around the world. These shows include “Existence: Women's Art Exhibition” in Changsha, China, “Please Touch, Body Boundaries” at Mana Contemporary Art in Jersey City and “Asian Women Artists Exhibition” at South Korea’s renowned Jeonbuk Museum. Zhen also delivers academic lectures at universities and educational institutions and is the founder of the Chinese Feminist Artist Alliance. She is a member of various art associations, including the International Women's Art Association, the North American Artists Association, and The Chinese Artists Association

 

Zhen Guo now lives and makes art in New York City.

 

Artist Statement: Chroma

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My “Muted Landscape” paintings show a view of our earth, that is at once expansive and frightening.  Images present a landscape seen as if from miles high, muted, obscured and defaced by both the gray monotone and by the appearance of great height.  High peaks and rivers, lakes, calderas, fields, are joined and blended, losing their individual features and value in their desolate beauty. But “muted” has meaning beyond toned down. It also calls for a stifling of exuberance and growth. The earth, disappearing before us under the pressure of the advance of population and the avarice of industry, is stifled and not able to call out. Our earth, the mother of us all, is silenced as pieces are dismembered and burned and lost forever.  So too, the mothers, daughters and all women of this world, their bodies and their rights are continually under attack. They are told to “shut up” and their voices are not heard, as if the hand of society is covering their mouths. 

 

Yet, from this desolate and despairing view of our existence grows a sign of help and renaissance and resistance to the gray.  Bright colors appear from the margins of the paintings, countering at last the crushing gray with a rainbow of color. The rainbow has long been a symbol of hope, optimism, good fortune and unity. It is all that and more here, but only if we fight can we keep it.

 

If we fail to speak for the muted and silenced, we will all face the same sentence.

Website: www.zhenguoart.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/zhenguoart

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ORGANIZER AND CURATOR

“We Are Together” Curator, online exhibition of Feminist art at ChineseFAA,org August 2022

“Chinese Feminist Artist Alliance” New York N.Y. Founder and President 2022

"Accidental is Inevitable" online exhibition, curated, May 2022

“International Art Triennial Exhibition” Hubei Museum Hubei PRC November 2020 – March 2021

"With Me" International Feminist Art Exhibition Online Curated by Zhen Guo September 2020

"Existence (2):Women's International Art Exhibition" Online May 2020

"Existence" Women’s Art Exhibition 798 Art Park, Songyang PRC October 2019

"International Feminist Art Exhibition," Mexi Emporium Exhibition Space Changsha PRC May 2018 "International Fine Artists Charity Art Show, Rizhao PRC, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015

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MUSEUM AND PUBLIC EXHIBITS

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2024 

“Unfolding Her Life” Solo show Bard College Annandale-on-Hudson NY, February 2024

   “Memory and Fiction” Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY February 2024

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2023

“Muted Landscape Video” IV Festival De Videoartistas Chinas Cuernavaca Mexico October 2023

”What Does Your Husband Think?” Thomas Vandyke Gallery Brooklyn NY October – November 2023

“What Is My Name: Zhen Guo Solo Retrospective”  Charles Chu Gallery Connecticut College Ct. September 2023

“Chroma Comes from the Margins” Zhen Guo solo show, Derfner Judaica Museum, Riverdale NY September 2023

“Rise in the Ruins” Outdoor Sculpture Garden Riverhead NY April – May 2023

“Muted Landscape” A video artwork Chinese Video Festival Cuernavica Mexico and Kumming PRC October 2023

“Existence” Hong Kong City Hall, Hong Kong, March 2023

“In The Mood for Love” Village One Gallery New York N.Y. March 2023

“New Moon, Cleansing Moon” Video work at ”El Interior de la Vasija Mexico City January 2023

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2022

“Into this World” Planthouse Gallery New York NY November 2022

“…And the Pursuit of” The Research House for Asian Art, Chicago IL September 2022

 “We Are Together” Online Exhibition of Feminist art at ChineseFAA,org August 2022

"I'm Human" New York Anti-Domestic Violence Month Exhibition October 2022

10th Anniversary Exhibition "Bald Girls", Dusseldorf Germany. July-August 2022 “Mothering Strength” Space Station Ship Gallery Beijing PRC April – May 2022

"Ola. Her Vision" International Women Artists Exhibition Hangzhou March-May 2022

“Uncontested” Lithuanian Center of New York, March 2022

“Muted Landscape Solo Show” Gallery 456/Chinese American Arts Council, New York N.Y. February 2022

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2021

“Welcome Back” Maggie Pettus Gallery Manhattan Borough President’s Office, New York N.Y. October 2021

“Pause, Remember, Reflect” Interchurch Center Gallery New York NY September 2021

“Don’t Shut Up” Snug Harbor Art and Cultural Center, Staten Island NY August 2021 “Futureless” Somos Gallery Berlin Germany April – December 2021

"Kulturtrotz(t) Corona/Existence Inselgalrie Berlin, Germany January 2021

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2020

“International Art Triennial Exhibition” Hubei Museum Hubei PRC November 2020 – March 2021

“Two Strong: Peepshow Space Gallery Brooklyn NY October 2020

“Futureless” SomoS Gallery Berlin Germany September 2020

“Dagger 2020 International Art Exhibit of Women Era” Wutong Museum Shanghai PRC September 2020

"With Me" International Feminist Art Exhibition Online Curated by Zhen Guo September 2020

"Some Will Remember Us" Plaxal Gallery Long Island City NY September 2020

 "Ink Like Her" Beijng, PRC September 2020

"We Rise: The Feminine Agenda" Womenswork Art Gallery Poughkeepsie NY September,2020

“Existence (2): International Women’s Art Exhibition Online, May 2020

“Within Global Isolation” Online www.withinglobalisolation.com April 2020

“Ann Arbor Film Festival” University of Michigan, Ann Arbor March 2020

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2019

“Identity Crisis” Royal Gallery, Brooklyn NY November – December 2019

“Ink and Things” Wuhan Art Museum November Wuhan PRC November 2019 – February 2020

"Existence" Women’s Art Exhibition Curated by Zhen Guo 798 Art Park, Songyang PRC October 2019

“Subversive Stitch” White Box Art Space New York NY October 2019

“Rise Up: Me too in China” Access Gallery New York, NY October 2019

“Becoming: Experimental Video Works” Eli Klein Gallery New York NY October – December 2019 “Antidote” Mykonos Biennale Mykonos Greece September 2019

“Warp and Woof” Gold Coast Art Center Great Neck NY September- December 2019

“US-China College Art Summit” Penn State University, State College PA August – September 2019

“Crashing the Party” Plaxall Gallery/LIC-A Long Island City NY July – August 2019

“Welcome to the Multiverse” Plaxall Gallery/LIC-A Long Island City NY July 2019

“Cruzando el Puente” Mexico Contemporary Art Exhibition, Museo de la Cancilleria Mexico City July – August 2019

“Export 2019” Mid-Hudson Center for Contemporary Art Poughkeepsie, NY April – May 2019

“Nothing Without Intention” School of Visual Arts, Brooklyn NY April 2019

“Cross Cultural Practices” New York Technology College, Brooklyn NY April – May 2019

“Women’s Art and Nesting Program” ZERO Art Center, Beijing PRC March – May 2019

“Chinese Landscape Rethought” Lyman-Alman Museum, New London CT. March – June 2019 “Chinese Artists in America” Gold Coast Art Center Great Neck NY March 2019

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2018

“Map and Territory” Jili University, Beijing PRC November – December 2018

“Through Her Eye” Mana Contemporary Chicago, September 2018 -February 2019

"International Feminist Art Exhibition," Mexi Emporium Exhibition Space Changsha PRC May 2018

“Muted Views” Empty: China Wanzhou International Abstract Art Exhibition, Guanzhou PRC May 2018

“Punching Bags” and “Mother” International Feminist Art Exhibition, Mexi Emporium Changsha PRC, May 2018

“Please Touch: Body Boundaries” Mana Contemporary Art, Jersey City NJ April - August 2018

“Lotus Paintings” Biennale Art History Invitational Exhibition Series 8, Shanghai March 2018

“BIJIE Dictionary Bi International Invitational Exhibition” Shanghai Meibo Art Museum, Shanghai PRC March 2018

“A Denied Existence” Solo Show Chinese American Arts Council Gallery 456, New York NY February 2018

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2017

“Abstract Art Exhibition of China 7th Anniversary” Suzhou Kenda Art Museum, Suzhou PRC December 2017

“Color Field (1) – Female Artist International Exhibition” Wejnling Art Museum Kunming, PRC December 2017

“Color Field (2) – Female Artist International Exhibition” Dounan Art Museum, Kunming PRC November 2017

“Art Affects the Future” Changsha Meixi Art Museum, Hunan PRC,November, 2017

“Third Annual Asian Art Exhibit: Asian Women Artists,” Jeonbuk Museum of Art, Jeonbuk, ROK September 2017

“Wowu Shandong Wudi “Di Village International Sculpture Garden Xin Jiayuan PRC September 2017

“Realistic and Abstract” Xicheng Time International Art Museum, Jinan, Shandong PRC, July 2017

“My Feminine Art and Experience” Lecture at Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts, Tianjin PRC, May 2017

”Spring Awakening -2017 Chinese Female Artist Exhibition” Hebei Art Museum, March 2017

“American Chinese Art Association Annual Show,” Los Angeles CA, June, 2017

“Female Art and ‘Nest Planning’” Beijing Zero Art Center, 798 District Beijing. PRC May 2017

 “Power of Art Colleges –Visual Arts” Yitai Art Space, Hohahaote City, PRC, April 2017

“Bi Jie Dictionary International Art Joint Invitational Exhibition,” Shanghai PRC March 2017

“Wake Spring: 2017 Chinese Feminist Art Exhibition“ Hebei Art Museum, Shi Jia Zhuang, PRC, March 2017

“A Woman Abreast” Zhen Guo Solo show Amerasia Art Gallery New York February 2017

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2016

“New York Asian Art Exhibition,” Amerasia Art Gallery, New York, December 2016

“Muted View,” Jiaxing Contemporary Art Museum, PRC, October 2016

“American Chinese Art Association Annual Show,” Shandong PRC, September 2016

“New York Art Salon,” New York, July 2016

“Annual International Feminist Art Show,” Shanghai PRC, March 2016

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2015

“Lotus Pond,” Jiaxing Contemporary Art Museum, Jiaxing PRC, December 2015

“City Matrix,” Shenzhen PRC, December 2015

“Guo Zhen Contemporary Feminist Charity Art Show,” Rizhao PRC, October 2015

“Guo Zhen Contemporary Feminist Charity Art Show,” Yitai Art Space Hohahaote City PRC October 2015

”Art Biennial of Contemporary Women” Hebei Teachers’’ University Museum September 2015

“Artists United Against Breast Cancer” North Shore Art Guild, Port Jefferson, NY, September 2015

“Art of the Five” The Interchurch Center, New York, NY, September 2015

“The Temperature” Shenzhen Art Museum, Shenzhen PRC, August 2015

“Shenzhen Women’s Art Show,” Shenzen PRC 2015

”Eye and Heart” Shenzhen Art Gallery, Shenzhen PRC, July 2015

“Power of Art Colleges –Visual Arts” Yitai Art Space, Hohahaote City PRC, April 2015

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2014

Shanghai Himalaya Museum, Shanghai PRC, 2014

Tianjing Art Museum, Tianjing PRC, 2014

”Soul Ink” Taihe Art 5t6 Gallery, Beijing 798,PRC May 2014

China National Painting Exhibition, Weifang, PRC, 2013, 2014

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2013

“Guo Zhen’s Lotus “Guo Zhen Art Show.” Rizhao Art Museum, Rizhao PRC, 2013

”Reality and Metaphor,” Nina Torres Fine Art, Miami Beach, FL, 2013

“30 Room Exhibition” Six Summit Gallery Ivorytown, CT., 2013

“30 Rooms Exhibition,” Six Summit Gallery, New York, NY, 2013 Tai He Art Gallery, Beijing 798 Art District, Beijing PRC, 2013

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2012

“My Heart Is Red,” Connecticut College, New London CT, April 2012

“My Heart is Red,” Rizhao Art Museum, Rizhao PRC May 2012

Rizhao Art Museum, Rizhao PRC, 2011, 2012

“American Artists Professional League 84th Grand National Exhibition”, New York, 2012

“Shui Mo” Art Show, Nanjing PRC 2012

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Prior Shows and Exhibitions

Student Scholarship Foundation, Rizhao, PRC, 2011

Museum of Rizhao City, Rizhao, Shandong, PRC. 2011

 “Art Asia 2010,” Miami FL, 2010

“Uptown Art Stroll,” Cornerstone Center, New York, NY, 2003, 2005, 2007

 “New Chinese Occidentalism,” Ethan Cohen Fine Arts, New York, NY, 2005 Museum of Rizhao City, Rizhao, Shandong, PRC. 2004

Fine Arts College of China, Hangzhou, PRC, 2001

Shanghai Art College, Shanghai, PRC, 2001

The Gallery of Museum of Rizhao City, Rizhao, Shandong, PRC. 2001

Fine Arts College of China, Hangzhou, PRC, 2001

Shandong Art College, 2001

Avanti Gallery, San Francisco, 1989, 1990, 1992

B Street Gallery, San Diego, CA, 1990

Yangtze Art Gallery, Toronto, 1989 Mayoon Fine Asian Art, CA, 1988 York University, Toronto, 1987

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ARTICLES AND MEDIA COVERAGE

“Between Two Worlds: Zhen Guo’s Journey to Feminist Art” Gail Levin, Distinguished Professor CUNY,

Published in The Journal of Asian Art and Aesthetics Vol. 8, December 2022 July 2022

“Guo Zhen Portraits and Self-Portraits”  by Distinguished Professor Gail Levin at the Association for Art

History Annual Conference, London UK April 2023

“The Breadth of Ink Robert C. Morgan 2019

“The Feminist Embodied Sculptures of Zhen Guo”  Robert C. Morgan White Hot Magazine, 2018

“Zhen Guo at the Asia Art Gallery” Jonathan Goodman 2017

“Guo Zhen” NYU Archive Video Documentary" New York, NY May 2022

“Muted Landscape” by Zhen Guo Published in China 2019

“Seated Woman, 1982” Permanent collection of Pacific Asian Art Museum, Pasadena CA

 

LECTURES AND EVENTS

Artist Talk Hosted by Distinguished Professor Gail Levin, Baruch College New York NY 2023

Artist talk at Derfner Judaica Museum Riverdale New York October 2023

Lecture on Traditional and Contemporary Flower painting at China Institute New York, NY

“College Arts Summit“ Lecture at Penn State University, State College PA September 2019

“Orchid Pavilion Gathering” Artist Panel”, China Institute New York NY March 2019

“Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” Artist Panel Mid-Hudson Heritage Center, Poughkeepsie NY March 2019

“Chinese Landscape Rethought” Lecture Lyman-Allen Art Museum New London CT March 2019

“Third Annual Asian Art Exhibit: Asian Women Artists” Keynote speaker Jeonbuk South Korea September 2017

“Chinese and their contribution to the world of art and culture” presented at St. John’s University, July 2017

“My Feminist Thoughts and Experience” Tianjn University, Tianjin PRC, April 2017

Guest Instructor Lecture at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn NY Lecture November 2016

“My Heart is Red” Lecture at Charles Chu Gallery, Connecticut College New London CT April 2012

AUCTIONS AND SIGNIFICANT SALES

“Ancient Melody,” Poly Auction House, Beijing PRC, 2015

“Where Am I Going,” Poly Auction House, Hong Kong 2015

“Jonnie has a New Toy;” Sotheby’s Beijing Auction, Beijing PRC, June 2014 “Reclining Woman,” Sotheby’s Beijing Auction, Beijing PRC, June 2014

“Child’s View” Sotheby’s Hong Kong, October 2013

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