DU Zhenjun (???) (Born 1961)

Born on March 12, 1961 in Shanghai, Du Zhenjun received diplomas from the Institute of arts and trades in Shanghai and the School of Fine Arts of the University of Shanghai. After 1990 he moved to France and received a Master degree from the Regional School of Fine Arts of Rennes, France in 1999. He is currently living in France.

Although trained as a sculptor, Du Zhenjun is most interested in creating interactive installation works. He is one of the first generation of artists who incorporate digital technologies into art pieces, and his 2003 exhibition in Paris, “Too Heavy for Human Beings”, was applauded as the first solo exhibition in French digital art history. Most of Du Zhenjun’s installations explore the human tragedies, as exemplified by one of his earlier works, Chienman, in which a half-man, half-dog digital creature splits into two halves and starts biting each other once the audience touches the screen on which the creature is projected. In Du Zhenjun’s works, the ecstasy of behavior takes crucial position, and this ecstasy is usually accompanied by Du Zhenjun’s attention to human beings’ suffering and challenges. By involving the audience and even trapping them inside his works and forcing them to play a central role, Du Zhenjun rejects the traditionally skill-centered art and calls for a greater care of humanity.