Ding Shilun

Ding Shilun (b. 1998, Guangzhou, China) lives and works between London and Guangzhou. Shilun harnesses his heritage, current events, and a global history of art to create large, detailed pictorial works that depict the ­ absurdity of daily life.

His unique concurrence of the mythological, historical, and everyday allows the emergence of an imaginary world with a representation of himself. Rooted in pictorial references such as Gustav Klimt or Kai Althoff, and intertwined with interpretations of Chinese literature— namely the collection of legends, translated as In Search of the Supernatural, (written between 220-589 AD)—Shilun’s characters inhabit imaginary worlds that serve as allegories for human experience and emotion. The precise details contrast the varying textures in his paintings, at times resembling watercolor, while his interplay of coexisting perspectives blurs the lines between the real and the surreal.

His recent solo shows include Invites: Ding Shilun, 2023, at Zabludowicz Collection, London; Paradiso, 2022, at Bernheim, Zurich, Mirage, 2024, at Bernheim, London and Ding Shilun: Janus, 2024-2025, at ICA Miami. Shilun’s work is found in public collections such as ICA Miami, Miami; The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Collection of Contemporary Art, Dallas; High Museum of Art, Atlanta; Rose Art Museum, Waltham, USA; Guangdong Museum, Guangzhou, China; Albertina Museum, Vienna; Museu Inimá de Paula, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Asymmetry Art Foundation, London; and Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas, among others.