Peng Shuai Paolo is a multidisciplinary artist born in China (Xiangtan) in 1995 and arrived in Italy in 2004. His diverse cultural backgrounds makes the discussion of contradictions and co- existence issues one of the themes of his work. The confusion, exploration and reinterpretation of identity, and the review of self body and soul constitute his writing method of personal his- tory.
His work is part of an area of research de ned as Economadism understood as the study of environ- mental conditions and therefore cultural, anthropological and psychological nomadic state of the human subject considered “in transit from a unitary dimension, homogenous and controllable to a uid one, in evolution and hybrid”, as focused by the Italian philosopher naturalized Australian Rosi Braidotti (1954). To address this issue, Paolo Peng Shuai refers to the world of Chinese plants, symbol of the identity of his native country.
The work of the artist was exhibited and involved in the context of cultural intervention such as: Diasporic Ecologies, curated by Angela Vettese, Centro Artistico Alik Cavaliere, Milan; Rac- colti, curated by Provinciale 11, Teatrino Malaspina, Mulazzo; Praticare l’ef mero, curated byLuca Arnaudo and Arendt Speser, Casa del Director, Colle di Tora (Rieti); Noocene, curated bySilvia Vannacci, Palazzo Binelli, Carrara; Imaginary Native (performance) curated by Johanne Aff-ricot, McKim, Mead & White Building, American Academy in Rome, Rome; Foreigners Everywhere, Work-shop Biennale College Arte 2023/2024, with Adriano Pedrosa, Venice.
EDUCATION
Born in Xiangtan in 1995. He lives and works between Milan (I) and Hameln (G).
2024 Foreigners Everywhere, Biennale College, with Adriano Pedrosa, Venice.
2022 MFA with Honors in Visual Culture and Curatorial Practice (tutor Riccardo Venturi),
Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Italy. 2020 BFA with Honors in Painting (tutors Maurizio Arcangeli and Cristina Muccioli), Brera
Academy of Fine Arts, Italy. 2011-15 Summer School Af liated to China Central Academy of Fine Arts, China.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2025
Diasporic Ecologies, curated by Angela Vettese, Centro Artistico Alik Cavaliere, Milan (UPCOMING).
2024
Homo Exradicatus/Radicatus, curated by Piervalentino Consigliere, Condominio XYZ, Milan.
2023
Geneulogia, curated by Valentina Pedone e Arendt Speser, galleria Andante, Rome.
2020
Uovo sodo, curated by Giacomo Agosti, Studio Zecchillo ex Studio di Piero Manzoni, Milan.
2018
Le Arti della Cina (l‘inedito mondo artistico cinese in Italia), curated by Giacomo Agosti, Fondazione Italia Cina, Milan.
La realtà super ciale, curated by Fondazione Paolina Brugnatelli, Milan.
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025
... And the stars look very different today, curated by Obler Luperi, Ex-carcere, Fondazione Oristano, Oristano.
2024
Raccolti, curated by Provinciale 11, Teatro Malaspina, Mulazzo.
2023
Praticare l’ef mero, curated by Luca Arnaudo and Arendt Speser, Casa del Direttore, Colle di Tora (Rieti).
Noocene, curated by Silvia Vannacci, Fondazione di Cassa di Risparmio di Carrara, PalazzoBinelli, Carrara.
2022
Pecorelle, curated by Spazio Mirtillo, galleria Arrivada, Milan.
Every Food is a Landscape, curated by Marco Trulli, Polo del 900, Turin.
Liberi Tutti (Festival di Arti Performative), curated by Silvia Concari e Alessio Vigni, Habitat Ottantatre, Verona.
Biennale di Todi, Sala delle Pietre, curated by Roberta Giuliani e Diego Costantini, Todi.
2021
IDEM/ALTER, curated by Silvia Vannacci, Saletta Campolmi, Prato.
Routes, curated by Rea! Curatorial Team, Scalo Lambrate, Milan.
With. In, curated by Metaxy Kollective, Sparc* Spazio Arte Contemporanea, Venice.
2020
Art in Act 008, curated by Linda Knif tz, Villa Paris, Teramo.
Urban Fringe, curated by Peng Shuai, Studio d‘Arte Banshan, Milan.#Hofattounbelgesto, The Glass Cathedral, Fondamenta Manin 1, Murano.Il lo di Turandot- I Edizione, MA-EC gallery, Milan.
2019
Anima e colore- Milano Gallery Weekend, Fondazione Paolina Brugnatelli, Milan.
Mosaic Biennial, curated by Linda Knif tz, Palazzo Rasponi dalle Teste, Ravenna.Fragmented image, curated by Laurentiu Craioveanu, Laurentiu Craioveanu Contemporary ArtStudio, Lodi.
Posso-pensare-ad-una-sola-parola-ma-non-alla-frase-intera, curated by Riccardo Vailati, Palazzo Visconti, Brignano.
Unusual Vision, curated by Yang Chunmeng, Villa Burba, Rho.
A look without border, Milan Design Week, House of Art & Artists S.R.L, Milan.Ri-levante, curated by Laurentiu Craioveanu, House of Art & Artists S.R.L, Milan.
2018
Compromise, curated by O‘Dirk, SpazioFico, Milan.
Darwin Day, curated by Maurizio Arcangeli, Clara Bon glio and Cristina Muccioli, Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano, Milan.
PERFORMANCES
2024
Imaginary Natives, curated by Johanne Affricot, McKim, Mead & White Building, American Academy in Rome, Rome.
2023
Giardino Movente, curated by Luca Arnaudo, Casa del Direttore, Colle di Tora (Rieti).
2021
Instinctive Reaction, curated by Silvia Vannacci, Saletta Campolmi, Prato.
2020
Instinctive Reaction, The Glass Cathedral, Murano.
WORKSHOP
2023
Foreigners Everywhere, Biennale College Arte 2023/2024, with Adriano Pedrosa, Venice.
RESIDENCIES
2024
Sentieri Creativi, Cà Matta, Bergamo. Raccolti, Provinciale 11, Casa Donato Vettese, Mulazzo.
2023
Casa del Direttore, Villa De Sanctis, Colle di Tora (Rieti). 2021 VIR Viafarini-in-residence, Milan.
SEMINARS
2024
Problematiche di conservazione dell’arte contemporanea, invited by Francesca Franco
(do cente di Storia dell’arte contemporanea), Scuola di Restauro, Accademia di Belle Arti L’Aquila, Aquila.
2022
Giovani artisti alle prese con il sistema dell’arte globale, Scuola Normale di Pisa, Sala Azzurra, Pisa.
CURATION
2024
Tonycon: Art Brut(exhibited artist: canecapovolto),Spazio Ferrobedò, Milan.
2022
Human Theater, (exhibited artists: Chen Maomin, Gui Kezhen, He Yunchang, Huang Zejian,
Liu Xuedong, Zhao Longfeng, Yin Shaoqi), Laros s.r.l, Nerviano.
2021
Ineffective, (exhibited artist: He Yunchang), Culture Dish online platform.
Digital Warming, (exhibited artists: Cheng Gu, Deng Enhao, Hou Keshan, Wang Yuchen), Cul
ture Dish online platform.
2020
URBAN FRINGE, (exhibited artists: Cao Zhehao, Chen Maomin, Chen Hongtao, Huang Zejian, Li
Zhuwei, Peng Shuai Paolo, Jin Xiaolin, Wang Hao, Yin Shaoqi,Yu Chenchen), Peng Shuai Paolo studio, Milan.
TALKS/INTERVIEWS
2022
Giovani, cibo e cambiamento climatico: verso stili di vita e sistemi alimentarisostenibili, moderated by Emanuela Vita, BASE Milano, Milan.
Can’t help touching, moderated by Jia Ni, Milan.
ALFA PRIVATIVO – Provocazioni sull’inclusività e l’intersezionalità nell’arte,Contemporary Matters, il Vivaio del Malcantone, Florence.
Conversazione con Shuai Peng, Giacomo Agosti e Chunmeng Yang, moderated by Giuliana Carbi
Jesurun, Trieste Contemporanea, Trieste.
2021
4 Chiacchiere con Peng Shuai Paolo, intervisted by Sun Wenlong and Sarah Manganotti
Intervista Shincera, intervisted by Shi Yangshi, Milan.
2020
INTRO- A very short introduction, moderated by Laurentiu Craioveanu, MA-EC gallery, Milan.
PRIZES
2022
Biennale di Todi, Special Prize.
2021 EsponiMi Prize, rst classi ed, Rotary Club.
2020 Rea! Art Prize, winner, Rea! Fair.
2019 GAEM Prize, rst classi ed, CNA project.
2017 Paolina Brugnatelli Visual Art Prize, rst classi ed, Fondazione Paolina Brugnatelli.
PUBLICATIONS
2025
Cultural Production and Representations of Identity Questioning Chineseness in the Sino-Italian Context, p.640-665, Valentina Pedone, Koninklijke Brill.
2024
Between Land and Sea: The Aesthetics of Diasporic Ecologies. An Interview with Paolo ShuaiPeng, Mauro Liu Qian: Ecozon@.
2024
Temporal Bodies: Paolo Peng Shuai’s Performative Action as Counter-Archival Practice,Giaccomo Cacciaguerra: Roots§Routes.
Economadic identity. The Art-Life of Paolo Peng Shuai, British Postgraduate Network for Chinese Studies Annual Conference, York.
2023
L’ economadismo di Peng Shuai Paolo, Fabrizio De Fabritiis: la Città Vegetale
Peng Shuai Paolo, il giovane artista che vive in italia e ci spiega l’Economadismo,interview by Luca Arnaudo: Artribune.
Studio visit a Peng Shuai Paolo, Archivio Mandra.
Signi cant individuality: the case study of the artist Paolo Peng Shuai, Giacomo
Cacciaguerra: Academia.edu.
2022
Conversation between Peng Shuai Paolo, Giacomo Agosti and Yang Chunmeng, Trieste
Contemporanea.
Instinctive Reaction, Sinosfere.
2020
The mediated group, Chinese communities naturalize in the issue of European immigration,
Venice, Metaxy Curatorial Kollective.