Yun-Fei Ji: The Sunflower Turned Its Back

Yun-Fei Ji (b. 1963, Beijing, China) earned his BFA from Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing and his MFA from University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Ji received the 2006 American Academy Prix de Rome Fellowship and Residency, and was the 2007 Artist-in-residence at the Parasol Unit Foundation for Contemporary Art in London. In his practice, Ji utilizes the symbols of folkloric tradition to speak truth to power. Full of phantoms, demons, and other spectral characters, Ji’s paintings have frequently functioned as metaphorical critiques of oppressive power structures—and strategies of defiance. In his ink and watercolor compositions, these ghostly figures are stand-ins for the complex political undercurrents and cultural tug-of-war shaping rural communities in a rapidly developing world.

New York-based independent curator, writer, journalist and critic Lilly Wei writes on global contemporary art and emerging art and artists, reporting frequently on international exhibitions and biennials. She has written for dozens of publications here and abroad and is a longtime contributor to Art in America and a contributing editor at ARTnews. She is the author of numerous artists’ catalogues and monographs and has curated exhibitions in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Wei sits on the board of several non-profit art institutions and organizations including AICA/USA (the International Association of Art Critics), Bowery Arts & Sciences, and Art Omi International. She is a fellow and Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the CUE Foundation.