Shanghai ART021 findings, November 2025
My TOP 5 Favorites
Rachel ZHANG (B 1998)
Rachel ZHANG is Chinese-American new surrealist painter born in 1998.
Her paintings delve into existential anxieties, social roles (especially gendered bodies), morality, and punishment. She describes scenes often unfold in everyday public spaces like laundry rooms, train stations, dive bars or bowling alleys, giving them a contemporary genre painting feel with a mythological twist.
Range of artwork price: Between 7000 to 20000 Usd.
WANG Qiqi "汪琦琦" (B 1996)
WANG Qiqi is a Chinese painter born in 1996.
Her paintings often explore themes related to the body and dislocation using delicate and fragile brushstrokes. However the results of her compositions could be brutal and questions us of our anxieties, sufferings, decay and mortality. I would say that her actual works refer to new-expressionism style and take great inspiration from master like Egon Schiele.
Range of artwork price: Between 2000 to 7000 Usd.
Sonia JIA (B 2000)
Sonia JIA is a Chinese painter born in 2000.
Her unique technique, allows her to create a subtle yet profoundly visceral experience on linen. The resulting pieces possess a remarkable sense of aliveness. To achieve this, she paints in multitudes of highly thin, layered oil paintings, onto linen that is first primed with "rabbit skin glue" an old priming practice. With her techniques characterized by their muted and subtly bruised pastel tones, Sonia meticulously examines the human body as a site where trauma, tenderness, and ultimately, transformation intersect. Reflecting on personal experiences of loss alongside the pervasive sense of alienation in our hyperconnected world, Sonia’s art serves as both a poignant space for mourning and a tender ritual of care.
Range of artwork price: Between 8000 to 25000 Usd.
AN Kun "安堃" (B 1968)
AN Kun is a Chinese painter born in 1968.
His technique is described as having a refined or "velvet" quality, showcasing a mastery of his medium. He's known for depicting the ambitious and wealthy Chinese bourgeoisie in a style that is distinctly European, almost like a portrait from a past era. In his notable series "Pretty, Bourgeois Friends" he portrays his subjects while subtly removing or masking their Chinese characteristics and identity. This serves as a commentary on the increasing westernization of Chinese society. Rather than sharp criticism, AN Kun uses his refined visual language to share his opinions on society in a charming and respectful way, often stripping his subjects of their Chinese identity to tell his own story.
Range of artwork price: 9000 to 25000 Usd.
WEI Dong "魏东" (B 1968)
WEI Dong is a Chinese painter born in 1968.
Wei Dong combines cross-cultural traditions of East and West, merging Chinese landscape painting with depictions of frank sexuality. His works comment on globalization, politics and the suppression of desire. He combines references to art historical styles ranging from traditional ink landscapes to social realism to renaissance and romantic painting. WEI Dong began depicting erotic themes, then taboo in China, often juxtaposing exposed women with Ming dynasty landscapes.
Range of artwork price: Between 30000 to 120000 Usd.
More coming...