Chi Peng

Chinese artist Chi Peng (*1981 in Yantai, Shandong) is usually the protagonist himself in his staged, digitally processed photographs. The scenarios vary enormously: in the series Sprinting Forward, several nude Chi Pengs flee from an attack by red airplanes, while in his Dream series, multiple versions of himself, with dragonfly wings, fly over the ocean, heading for a vague horizon. Like many of his contemporaries, due to China's official family policy Chi Peng was raised a single child, so important themes in his work are adolescence, growing up, and issues revolving around sexual identity. However, China's relentless progress and the accompanying feelings of optimism, doubt, insecurity, and isolation can also be found in his images, where reality and fiction meet.