Ren Zhitian
Ren Zhitian (b. 1968, Xishui, Hubei) is a contemporary artist and curator currently living and working in Beijing. His practice spans a wide range of media and forms, including painting, installation, video, and calligraphy.
His painting works explore multiple threads: a series on xuan paper offering a Chinese perspective on global socio-political dynamics; the Tailpipe Ash on Silk series addressing environmental concerns; the Ink Wash series focusing on the linguistic potential of traditional media; the Water Stain series reflecting on visualized consciousness; and another series dedicated to intuitive, sensuous expression. Notable installations include "Ink Fountain", "A Page", and "Buoyancy"; his major video works include "Time Space – Dot" and "Delvin Tribe". Ren actively participates in exhibitions at museums and art institutions worldwide, and is also the founder and curator of the Door Art, through which he organizes and takes part in a series of thematic exhibitions. His major exhibitions include: "Confronting Anitya - Oriental Experience in Contemporary Art", the 55th Venice Biennale (2013); "BRIC-á-brac: The Jumble of Growth" - The 3rd Today's Documents (2016); and "Super Fusionthe: 2021 Chengdu Biennale*, among others.
Selected Exhibitions:
798 Loft Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition, 798 Art Festival, Beijing, 2008;
Unexpected Issues, group exhibition at Art Channel Gallery, Beijing, 2011;
Items & Intuition, solo exhibition at ART LABOR Gallery, Shanghai, 2013;
Confronting Anitya, international touring exhibition, 2013–2016, including Collateral Event of the 55th Venice Biennale: Confronting Anitya – Oriental Experience in Contemporary Art, 2015;
Today,Praise the Tea, group show at Today Art Museum, Beijing, 2015;
Planet, Art Basel Cities, 2018;
In Tribute to Dr. Jane Goodall, Driving Forces: Compassion & Intuition, touring exhibition, UCCA Lab, Beijing, 2024;
123 - A group show by Ma Kelu, Guo Gong, Ren Zhitian, 2025.
In 2016, Ren Zhitian was artist-in-residence for six months at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai. He also founded the contemporary art brand The Door Art, curating and participating in a series of thematic exhibitions under its banner, including The Silence of Sirens, Hypertext, It is Exactly as if it Had Never Happened, To Gaze & To Detach, and Die Niemandsrose.
