WEINING CAI
Artist's About
Weining Cai (Shanghai, China) is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Shanghai and London. Weining holds three MAs: Contemporary Art Practice from the Royal College of Art, UK (2020-2022), the University of Arts in Poznan, Poland(2019-2020), and Shanghai Normal University,China (2016-2019 included in a one-year exchange programme in Poland). Most of Weining's work focus on sensitive topics such as Chinese politics and sexuality. She has been involved in various exhibitions and awards in China, Poland and the UK. The latest group exhibitions are the 10th International Drawing Exhibition - RYSOWAĆ∞. (Toruń, Poland. on 05,2022) and META group performance in Bermondsey Project Space (London, UK. 04,2022). She joined the Art Association: Neue Slowenische Kunst in 2021 (NSK is a political art collective that formed in Slovenia in 1984. NSK members include groups IRWIN, Scipion Nasice Sisters Theatre, etc).
Exhibition & Awards
• 05.2022 —— Communication exhibited in 10th International Drawing Exhibition - RYSOWAĆ∞. [Toruń, Poland]
• 04.2022 —— META group performance, Bermondsey Project Space. [London, UK]
• 03.2022 —— 一叶障目Yi Ye Zhang Mu - exhibited in It’s all fun until…exhibition, Safe House Gallery. [London, UK]
• 02.2022 —— Lady in the Toilet - exhibited in Royal College of Art. [London, UK]
• 02.2022 —— performance - What Do I Want to Say to You, performed in the exhibition of White Table Takeover. [London, UK]
• 11.2021 —— performance - White Mask, performed in the exhibition of TETE A TETE. [Glasgow, UK]
• 09.2021 —— Red Boat and Abandon exhibited in the 14th National Aesthetic Education Teaching Achievements exhibition and won the first prize and the second prize respectively. [Shanghai, China]
• 08.2021 —— How to balance myself and the world, Untitled exhibited in Contemporary Art, Chinese exhibition. [Shanghai, China]
• 06.2021 —— Join in the Art Association: Neue Slowenische Kunst. (NSK is a political art collective that formed in Slovenia in 1984. NSK members include groups IRWIN, Scipion Nasice Sisters Theatre, etc).
• 03.2021 —— No Food, No Honey, State of Being, Upper and Lower Classes involved in the online exhibition - Everything Forever
• 06.2020 —— solo Exhibition: No Food, No Honey. [Poznan, Poland]
• 02.2020 —— How to Balance Myself and the World, exhibited in New Concept Art exhibition. [Chongqing, China]
• 10.2019 —— Upside Down, Brush Stroke, Time Travel, Pressure and Release, Forest, exhibited in. No.4 The Youth Art exhibition. [Poznan, Poland]
• 05.2019 —— Couple series exhibited in Shanghai Summer exhibition and won the Excellence Prize. [Shanghai, China]
• 01.2019 —— Second Skin, performed in the Performance Art Exhibition of Poznan 2020: Flip Flop. [Poznan, Poland]
• 06.2018 —— Eclipse, Memory of Hair, exhibited IN MADE IN BETWEEN EAST & WEST. [Poznan, Poland]
• 06.2018 —— solo Exhibition: Dialectic Thinking. [Poznan, Poland]
• 03.2018 —— Search For the Meaning exhibited in the 6th Youth Painting Competition in Poland. [Poznan, Poland]
Work Experience
Si Fen Ke Art Institution
Art tutor
Online
07.2020 – current
• Responsible for helping art students prepare their portfolios for their university applications both in China and overseas
• Offering creative advice on developing students’ ideas and providing innovative advice for their final artwork
• Successfully helped every student tutored to receive university offers
Artist
Self-employed Artist/Painter
Shanghai, China
07.2016 – current
• Finding a window to show my artwork, and increasing the potential opportunities for collaborating with other art galleries or institutions
• Providing more choices and establishing collaboration with collectors
• Sold around 11 paintings in three galleries and developed a successful artist business supporting myself
M50 Art Gallery
Head of planning
Shanghai, China
07.2018 – 10.2019
• Responsible for event planning, effectively coordinating and working collaboratively with a team of ten people, and arranging exhibitions, including the Shanghai Design Week Conference. Utilised my creative ideas to lead the team and expanded my artistic horizons by exchanging ideas with my colleagues
• Building a bridge between artists and collectors, successfully helping to build the gallery’s business
Freelancer
Artist/Painter
Shanghai, China / Online
07.2015 – current
• Worked as a street artist on various painting projects, designing and painting more than 30 wall murals both for outside and inside projects, successfully cooperating with a number of enterprises, restaurants and cafes
• Accumulated experience of solving real working issues, tried painting skills, including 3D fork art, ground painting, texture wall
• Developed a successful art business supporting myself through my postgraduate studies
Education
Royal College of Art
London, UK
09.2020 – 06.2022
MA Contemporary Art – Public Sphere
Key Modules: Installation, Video, Performance, Art crit, Critical practice
University of Arts in Poznan [two-year study within one-year exchange programme]
MA Painting 1st Class
Poznan, Poland
09.2019 – 07.2020
Key Modules: Painting, Drawing, Photography, Performance, Sculpture, Art philosophy, Contemporary art Monographic studies
Results: GPA:5.26 / 5.5 ranked No.1 in major. Achieved the highest grade among all exchange students
Art Academy of Shanghai Normal University
MA Oil Painting 1st Class
Shanghai, China
09.2016 – 07.2019
Key Modules: Oil painting, Culture comparison between the West and the Easte, Aesthetics study
Results: Grade:83.25 /100