Chen Man (; born 1980) is a Chinese visual artist. Her medium includes photography, graphic design, cinematography, and digital art.
She also produces covers for fashion magazines and collaborates with major brands worldwide.
Biography Born in Beijing in 1980, Chen Man grew up after the Cultural Revolution and was part of the generation of the Chinese one-child policy. Chen attended the Central Academy of Fine Arts and graduated in 2005, where she studied graphic design.
At the age of 23, she published her self-styled photography as covers for Chinese art magazine VISION, bringing her immediate prominence for the first time as a student. Her early style includes extensive use of digital tools such as Photoshop and 3D Max to create an extravagant visual experience.
Man is also known for her hyper-realistic pop portraits like her 2012 "Whatever the Weather" covers. The series features an unsigned model and Tibetan teenagers from the Tibetan High School, an ethnic college. Man wanted to capture the "50 to 60 ethnic groups" that represent the beauty in China in her 12 photograph series for i-D. The issue was praised as both creative and forward thinking especially for her age.
Not only has Man mastered cameras and computers, she has also mastered the seamless blend of her modern aesthetics with traditional Chinese culture into her work. This has led to people praising Man for assisting the evolution of China's aesthetics and redefining Chinese beauty.
To Man there are two ways of defining beauty and she finds "both sides of the coin beautiful. She believes in genuine beauty, "what feels real whether it's an emotion, an image, a person or an artwork" and technological beauty, like the beauty of phones and computers. With the tendency to look abroad for inspiration, Man is hoping that her work will encourage people to rethink beauty and start looking "to China for inspiration."
Career In addition to producing covers for VISION magazine, Chen also does fashion photography for Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, i-D, Cosmopolitan, and Esquire.
She frequently works with makeup artist Toni Lee."Chen Man: The Beijing girl who wants to bring modernism into her country" , Art Photo Expo. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
Her own studio, Studio 6, based in Beijing, is producing advertising campaigns for brands such as L'Oréal, MAC, Dior, Canon, Guess, Hublot, Carl F. Bucherer, Sharp, Beats, Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Motorola, Adidas, Puma, Converse, Uniqlo, Budweiser, Absolut Vodka, Shiseido, Maybelline etc.
Personal life Chen Man is married to American-born Raphael Ming Cooper, cofounder of Society Skateboards. She has two children.
Selected exhibitions Chen's work has been widely exhibited:"Chen Man: Biography" , Artaban. Retrieved 31 March 2013. 2004: Out of the Window Space of Distraction, Tokyo 2005: Fashion and style in photography, Moscow 2006: Wave Chinese media Art, 1997–2004, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis 2007: Galerie Loft, Paris 2008: Galerie Maeght, Paris 2008: China Design, Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2010: Red Beauty, Fabien Fryns Fine Art, Los AngelesChen Man, Art in Asia. Retrieved 22 July 2014.Red Beauty at Fabien Fryns Fine Art . Retrieved 22 July 2014. 2010: Unbearable Beauty, Ooi Botos Gallery, Hong Kong"Chen Man, China's Celebrated Avant-Garde Photographer, in Her First Hong Kong Show", Artdaily.org. Retrieved 31 March 2013. 2011: Today Art Museum, Beijing 2012: Chinese Art Centre, Manchester, UK"Manchester: Chen Man exhibition", Culture360.org. Retrieved 31 March 2013."Chen Man touring exhibition, 9 February – 7 April 2012", CFCCA Archive and Library. Retrieved 4 September 2018. 2012: Glamorous Futurist by Chen Man Exhibition, Diesel Art Gallery, Tokyo 2013: Artist Special Project, Como Hotel, Bangkok 2013: Proud of Dignity 2012, Lady Dior Exhibition, Paris 2013: Galerie Steph+Four Season Hotel Exhibition, Four Season Hotel, Singapore 2014: A New Attitude: Chen Man's Provocative Interpretations of Contemporary Chinese Women Exhibition, RedLine Art Center, Denver
References
External links Chen Man's website Chen Man on Weibo Chen Man on Facebook Chen Man on Twitter Chen Man's Artwork on Fabien Fryns Fine Art Chen Man's interview with New York Times Chen Man's interview with Luxury Insider