Huang Rui

Huang Rui (Born in Beijing, 1952) is one of China’s most highly regarded artists. He was a founding member of the Chinese avant-garde group the Stars (Xing Xing), which included artists Wang Keping, Ai Weiwei, Ma Desheng, among others and was active from 1979 to 1983. This groundbreaking group of artists was the first active art collective to protest government censorship after the Cultural Revolution.

Huang Rui has been considered a major vocal advocate of the 798 Art Zone in Beijing. He was instrumental in the establishment of the art district in 2002, and in the efforts to protect the area from demolition in 2004 and 2005. In 2006, 798 became the first state recognized and protected art district in China. This success was due in a large part to Huang Rui’s efforts to promote the district through the Dashanzi International Art Festivals (DIAF) and his book Beijing798. Huang Rui most often creates paintings referencing various Western artistic styles. However through the development of his style, he became more experimental and began exploring different mediums including photography, printmaking, installation, and performance art. As a result, his work is not easily classified. Huang Rui’s work was acquired by the Guggenheim Museum in 2015.

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