Ni
1964 born in Zhoushan, P. R. China, presently lives in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; works in Amsterdam and Beijing.
1986 Graduated from Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (now China Academy of Art)
Ni Haifeng's practice stems from an interest in cultural systems of return, exchange, language and production. Born and raised in China but currently a resident of the Netherlands, Ni employs photography, video and installations to explore the simultaneous creation and obliteration of meaning while drawing attention to the cyclical movements of people, products and goods that are often reflective of patterns of colonialism and globalization. His aims to subvert the status quo and counteract preconceived notions of art are, in his own words, an effort towards reaching a "zero de- gree of meaning".
The concept of uselessness, seen in the desire to offset «the production of the useful»that is central to the operative conditions of consumerism and the «dominant economic order», plays a key role within Ni's pratice, lending his works a distinct political and social dimension.
Based in Amsterdam and Beijing, Ni's work has been exhibited in a number of galleries and museums including ZKM Centre for Art and Media, Karlsruhe; Fonds BKVB, Amsterdam; the San Francisco Institute of Art; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Centre for Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv; Gallery Lumen Travo, Amsterdam; Teemtover, Guangzhou; Museum Het Domein, Sittard; Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Amsterdam; espace culture Louis Vuitton, Paris; K18, Kassel; and National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul. He has also exhibited as part of Manifesta 7, Genk; the 2005 Guangzhou Triennal; and the 2004 Shangai Biennale.
After graduating from the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (now the China Academy of Art) in Hangzhou in 1986, Ni joined RED 70%, BLACK 25% and WHITE 5%- a group of artists working with conceptual art and nonsense text.
He lives between Amsterdam and Beijing.
EXHIBITION (SELECTION)
Solo exhibitions
2017
The Para-Textual, In Situ- fabienne leclerc, Paris, FR
2016
ART Basel Hong Kong, In Situ - fabienne leclerc, Paris, FR
2015
Asynchronous, Parallel, Tautological et Cetera, Pearl Lam Galleries Hong Kong, Hong Kong, CN
2012
Project for Ignatius, St. Ignatius Gymnasium, Amsterdam, NL (Public work)
2010
Vive la Difference, Gallery Lumen Travo, Amsterdam, NL
2009
Of the Departure and the Arrival, Teemtower, Guangzhou, CN
2008
Para-Production, Joyart, Beijing, CN
Vive la Différence - Ni Haifeng @ Arrow Factory, Arrow Factory, Beijing, CN
2007
The Return of the Shreds (in collaboration with Kitty Zijlmans), Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal in Scheltema, Leiden, NL
2006
Kunst als gift Project, Amsterdam Fonds voor de Kunst/Municipality of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NL
Of the Departure and the Arrival, KunstRAI, Amsterdam (with Gallery Lumen Travo), Amsterdam, NL
2005
New Works, Gallery Lumen Travo, Amsterdam, NL
Of the Departure and the Arrival, Het Museum Prinsenhof, Delft, NL
2004
Ni Haifeng. Xeno-Writings, Museum Het Domein, Sittard, NL
2003
Multiple lies, GEM, Museum of Contemporary art, The Hague, NL
2002
Airbag. Ni Haifeng Solo Exhibition, Pond Paulus, Schiedam, NL
2001
No-man's-land, Lumen Travo, Amsterdam, NL
1999
Sociosphere II, Stadhouderskade 112, Amsterdam, NL
1997
Anonymous, Gallery Gaby Kraushaar, Dusseldorf, DE
1996
Secrets, Gate Foundation, Amsterdam, NL
Group exhibitions
2017
Manifesta Biennal, The European Biennal of Contemporary Art, Amsterdam, NL
En marge, IN SITU - fabienne leclerc, Paris, FR
2015
Everything Must Go - Art and the Market, Lewis Glucksman Gallery, University College Cork, Cork, IE
Paper Theater, PearlLam Galleries Shanghai, Shanghai, CN
Ceramix, Bonnefantemuseum, Maastricht, NL
Spiegeloog - Het zelfportret in de Nederlandse kunst, het Museum Arnhem, Arnhem, NL
Biennale Internationale Du Lin de Portneuf 2015, Quebec, CA
2014
Dai Hanzi - 5000 Names, UCCA, Beijing, CN, Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam, NL
Meeting Point 2, Gallery Lumen Travo, Amsterdam, NL
Look at Me, Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam, NL
2013
Suspended History, Museum Van Loon, Amsterdam, NL
Kanaalwerken, Gemeente Museum, Helmond, NL
Kindred Spirit, Artzone Rabobank Netherlands, Utrecht, NL
2012
Manifesta 9 - The Deep of the Modern, the European Biennial of Contemporary Art, Waterschei, Genk, BE
Manifest Present - then Today Tomorrow, Kasteel Oud-Rekem, Rekem, BE
Image Anxiety, PhotoEspana, Madrid, ES
2011
Global Contemporary, ZKM Museum for Contemporary Art, Karlsruhe, DE
2010
Certified Copy, Verbeke Foundation, Stekene, BE
Analogue Story, Huis Merseille, Amsterdam, NL
Today's Document II ? Negotiation, Today Art Museum, Beijing, CN
Twisted Doubles, Museum de Lakanhal, Leiden, NL
Coup de Ville, WARP, Antwerpen, BE
The Art of Book-Keeping, HALLE 14 Art Center, Leipzig, DE
Contemporary Porcelain, Musée Historique · Château de Nyon, Nyon, CH
Home-Stay, Osage Contemporary Art and Ideas, Shanghai, CN
Dialogue, Gallery Lumen Travo, Amsterdam, NL
Glass Factory, Iberia Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, CN
2009
Emporium, Museo Nazionale delle Scienza e delle Technologia Leonardo da Vinci, Milan, IT
Silent Writings, Espace Culturel Vuis Vuitton, Paris, FR
imPOSSIBLE, San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery, San Francisco, US
Ultra Skin, Coreana Museum of Art, Seoul, KR
The China Project, Queensland Art Gallery, Queensland, AU
2008
Reflective Asia ? The Third Nanjing Triennial, Nanjing Museum, Nanjing, CN
Between the Light and the Dark - On the Borders of Chineseness, Canvas International Art, Amstelveen, NL
Open /Invited ev+a 2008, Limerick City Gallery of Art, Limerick, IE
Between the Light and the Dark - Shifting Fault Lines, Arario Beijing, Beijing, CN
Dessins contemporains des Pays-bas - Sign mouvants, institut neerlandais, Paris, FR
Toekenning 036, Fonds BKVB, Amsterdam, NL
2007
Presentatie van de eindresultaten van het landelike onderzoeksproject COOPs, Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal in Scheltema, Leiden, NL
Wherever We Go, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, US
Thermocline ? New Asian Waves, ZKM Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe, DE
Forms of Exchange, Museum Het Domein, Sittard, NL
Forged Realities, Universal Studios, Beijing, CN
Drawing Topologies, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NL
An Impossible Mix, De 11 Lijnen, Oudenburg, NL
Energy, Today Art Museum, Beijing, CN
Spicy Dutch , Stadsmuseum Ijsselstein, Ijsselstein, NL
2006
Wherever We Go, Spazio Oberdan, Milan, IT
VideoZone: The 3rd International Video Art Biennale in Israel, Centre for Contemporary
Art, Tel Aviv, IL
Co-ops, BAK, Basis Actuele Kunst, Utrecht, NL
Nederland 1, MuseumGoudA, Gouda, NL
Jianghu, Jack Tilton Gallery, New York, US
Roam Is My Home, CM Studio, Centraal Museum Utrecht, Utrecht, NL
2005
Beyond - 2nd Guangzhou Triennial, Guangdong Art Museum, Guangzhou, CN
Respect - Poldermodellen - Een tentoonstelling van hedendaagse kunst uit Nederland in Marokko, Musée Dar Si Saïd, Marrakech, Mondriaan Foundation, Amsterdam, NL
Out of Sight, De Appel, Amsterdam, NL
Nouvelle Biennale de Chateauroux 2005, Les Musees Ville de Chateauroux, Chateauroux, FR
Plato and His Seven Spirits, OCT Contemporary Art Terminal of He Xiangning Art
Museum, Beijing, CN
ADAM, Smart Project Space, Amsterdam, NL
H x B x D, Gemeente Museum Den Haag, The Hague, NL
2004
Techniques of the Visible - 5th Shanghai Biennale, Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai, CN
Salon de Los Inmigrantes, De Oude Kerk, Amsterdam, NL
Migrating Identity - Transmission/Reconstruction, Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam, NL
A l'Ouest du Sud de l'Est /A l'Est du Sud de l'Ouest, Villa Arson, Nice, Centre Régional
d'Art Contemporain, Sète, FR
2003
In and Out ? Dutch Contemporary Art 2003, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, KR
2002
Synthetic Reality, East Modern Art Center, Beijing, CN
Mirage, Suzhou Art Museum, Suzhou, CN
2001
Unpacking Europe, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, NL
1999
Food for Thought, Mu Art, Arctic Foundation, Eindhoven, NL
Waterverf?, De Zaaier, Amsterdam, NL
1998
Kijk op de Wijk, Stichting Kade Aterliers, Utrecht, NL
Democracy, Gate Foundation, Amsterdam, NL
Lengte, Breedte en Diepte, De Gele Rijder, Arnhem, NL
1995
Configura II, Gallery am Fischmarkt, Erfurt 6. Triennale Kleinplastik Europa- Ostasien, DE
Sudwest LB Forum, Stuttgart, Museum Moderne Kunst, Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna AT
Balanceakte, Ifa Gallery, Stuttgart, Ifa Gallery, Bonn, DE
1993
China's New Art Post'89, Hong Kong Arts Center, Hong Kong, CN
China Avantgarde, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Kunsthal, Rotterdam, The Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, Kunsthallen Brandts Kleadefabrik, Odense, Roemermuseum, Hildesheim, NL
Images et identités, CAPC Musée d'art Contemporain, Bordeaux, FR
1992
Begegnung mit den Anderen, K 18, Kassel, DE
New Art from China, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Queensland Art Gallery, Queensland, City of Ballaarar, Fine Art Gallery, Ballaarar, Canberra School of Art Gallery, Canberra, AU
1991
Garage Show, Shanghai Educational Forum, Shanghai, CN
1986
Red 70%, Black 25%, White 5%, Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts, Hangzhou, CN
Bibliography
Catalogs
2009
Yao, Pauline .J and Ni Haifeng. Ni Haifeng :Para-Production, Hong Kong, Timezone 8, 2009.
2007
Haifeng, Ni and Kitty Zijlmans. Forms of Exchange. Sittard, Museum Het Domein, 2007.
2005
Haifeng, Ni. Of the Departure and the Arrival. Amsterdam, LumenTravo, 2005.
Publication/Reviews
2004
Ni, Haifeng. Xeno-Writings. Sittard, Museum het Domein, 2004.
Ni, Haifeng. Synthetic Reality. Zhu Jia éd., Hong Kong, Timezone 8. 2004.
2003
Arkesteijn, Roel and Ni Haifeng. Ni Haifeng. No-Man?s-Land. The Hague, GEM, Amsterdam, Artimo, 2003.
1997
Ni Haifeng ? Anonymus. Dusseldorf, Gallery Gaby Kraushaar, 1997.
1996
Ni Haifeng. Bunnik 1996.
Publication/Reviews
2013
Hamilton Faris, Jaymei. Uncommon Goods : Global Dimensions of the Readymade. Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2013.
2010
Meskimmon, Marsha. Contemporary Art and the Cosmopolitan Imagination. New York Routlegde, 2010.
Bright, Susan. Auto Focus? The Self-Portrait in Contemporary Photography. London Thomas & Hudson, 2010.
2008
Schouwenberg, Louise. «Man of the Mind». Frame 65, NOV/DEC, 2008, pp. 88-95.
Brouwer, Marianne. Recycling Marx in the Age of Globalization. The Return of the Shreds. Kitty Ziljmans, Ni Haifeng and Nicole Roepers, Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal Leiden (Leiden, NL), Valiz, Amsterdam (Amsterdam, NL), 2008, pp. 90-101.
Brouwer, Marianne and Simon Ferdinando. Between the Light and the Dark : On
the Borders of Chineseness. Amstelveen, Canvas International Art, 2008
2006
Arkesteijn, Roel. Disruption of an Overly Defined World ?. Wherever We Go, Hou Hanru and Gabi Scardi. Milan. 5 Continents Editions Srl, 2006, pp. 21 8-227.
Ni, Haifeng. Of the Departure and the Arrival. Touching the Stones. Waling Boers, Cologne, Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther Konig, 2006, pp. 130-133.
Haifeng,NI and Kitty Zijlmans. Gift. Amsterdam 2006.
Arkesteijn,Roel. Disruption of an Overly Defined Worl. Respect, Roel Arkesteijn, Amsterdam, Mondriaan Foundation, 2006, pp. 58-65.
2005
Cotton, Charlotte. The Photography as Contemporary Art. London, Thomas Hudson.
2003
Brouwer, Marianne. De nulgraad van het schrijven en andere subersieve momenten. Tessa Boerman, Patricia Pisters, Joes Sega. Beeldritsen, Amsterdam (de balie), 2003, pp. 10-26.
Brouwer, Marianne. A Zero Degree of Writing and Other Subversive Moments : An NI Haifeng,Ni and Roel Arkesteijin. Interview with Ni Haifeng. No-Man?s-Land: Ni Haifeng. Artimo (Amsterdam, NL), 2003,pp. 247-261.
2002
Koplos, Janet. Ni Haifeng at Lumen Travo Gallery. Art in America 90. 2002, p. 139.
2001
Lopez, Sebastian et al. Laws of inscription. Unpacking Europe : Towards a Critical Reading Rotterdam. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen / NAi Publisher, 2001, pp. 332-337.
