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    Born in 1967 in Xi’an, a town of the Shaanxi province in central China, Wang Bing first studied photography in Shenyang, at the Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts, before taking cinema classes in Beijing, at the Cinema Institute (1995). Besides feature documentary as Three Sisters and Madness, he is also active in video installation as Crude Oil, a 14 hours film. He also started a noteworthy work in photography.

    His work has been selected for presentation and competition in many film festivals where he won a great number of awards. Acclaimed by critics and recognized as one of the most important Chinese artists, documentary makers and film directors of his time, he has been honored by retrospectives of his entire work in major museum, as Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique.

    In 2023, Wang Bing directed Youth (Spring), a documentary that follows the daily lives of young people living in a town in Yunnan Province, in southwest China. In this film, he uses archival footage and real-life scenes to explore themes of youth, identity, coming-of-age, love and life in a changing Chinese society.
    The film had its world premiere at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival, where it won the FIPRESCI Award for Best Film in the Orizzonti section. Critics praise Youth (Spring) for its authentic and poignant vision of Chinese youth, as well as for its direction.

    Exhibition :
    Father and sons

    For inquiries

      Born in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, China, 1989
      1995 Luxun Academy of Fine Arts, Photography Department, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China
      1996 Film Academy, Photography Department, Beijing, China

      SOLO EXHIBITIONS

      2022
      The Walking Eye, Photographic Centre, Geneva, Switzerland
      Wang Bing à la trace, curator: Antony Fiant, Galerie Art et Essai Université Rennes 2, Rennes, France

      2021
      The Walking Eye, LE BAL, Paris, France

      2020
      Wang Bing à la trace, Galerie Art et Essai, Université Rennes 2, Rennes, France

      2019
      Wang Bing, Take Ninagawa Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
      Rassenge Immagini segrete dalla Cina. Omaggio a Wang Bing, Museo Nazionale del Cinema, Turin, Italy

      2018
      Wang Bing, Kunsthalle Zürich, Zürich, Germany
      Wang Bing, Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris, France
      Dispossessed Lives. Resilient Lives. – Wang Bing’s complete film restrospective, co-organized by Museo Reina Sofía and Filmoteca, Madrid, Spain
      Traces, Tate Modern Weekend Film Series, Tate Modern, London, UK
      Solo Exhibition of Video works, Eye Museum, Amsterdam

      2017
      Experience and Poverty, Magician Space, Beijing, China

      2016
      Wang Bing: Three Portraits, CCA Wattis Institute, San Francisco, USA
      Special Focus at Kerala Film Festival, India
      Special focus at Hambourg Filmwoche, Germany

      2015
      Film Retrospective at Geneva Black Movies Film Festival, Switzerland

      2014
      Fathers and Sons, Galerie PARIS-B, Paris, France
      Fathers and Sons, Galerie PARIS-B, Brussels, Belgium
      Wang Bing Retrospective, Royal Belgian Film Archive, Brussels, Belgium
      Wang Bing/Jaime Rosales, Cinéastes en correspondance, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
      Film Retrospective at Pacific Meridian Film Festival, Russia
      Special Focus at AV Film Festival, UK

      2013
      Wang Bing, Institut de l’Image, Aix-en-Provence, France

      2011
      Special Focus at Cinema South Festival, Israel

      2010
      Film Retrospective at Milano Filmmaker Film Festival, Italy

      2009
      Solo Exhibition, Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris, France

      GROUP EXHIBITIONS

      2021
      Photography exhibition at Shanghai Photofairs

      2020
      China – Africa : Crossing the world color line, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France

      2019
      Circular Flow, Kunstmuseum Basel | Gegenwart, Basel, Germany
      Fast Fashion/Slow Art, Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick; George Washington
      University Museum and Textile Museum, Washington, D.C., USA

      2018
      Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Kochi, India
      Hito Steyerl, Ben Rivers, Wang Bing, EYE Art & Film Prize, EYE Filmmusuem, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

      2017
      Learning from documenta, Centre Culturel de Strombeek, Brussels, Belgium
      Documenta 14, Kassel: Retrospective, Gloria Kino, Kassel, Germany
      Documenta 14, Athens, EMST – National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens

      2016
      Chinese Video Art since the 1980s, Time Test: International Video Art Research Exhibition, Beijing CAFA Museum, Beijing, China

      2015
      Video Retrospective and Photography Exhibition, Jeonju International Film Festival, Jeonju, Korea

      2014
      Shanghai Biennale, Shanghai, China


      FILMOGRAPHY

      2018
      Dead Souls (Si Linghun), documentary, 496 minutes
      Cannes Film Festival Official Selection, Special Screening

      2017
      Mrs. Fang (Fang Xiuying), documentary, 86 minutes
      Premiered at Locarno Film Festival, International Competition – Golden Leopard

      2016
      Bitter Money (Ku Qian), documentary, 152 minutes
      Premiered at Venice Film Festival, Orizzonti Competition – Best Screenplay Prize, Human Rights Special Award
      TA’ANG: documentary, 147 minutes
      Premiered at Berlin Film Festival, Forum, Nuremberg Human Rights Festival 2017 – Human Rights Award

      2013
      ‘Til Madness Do Us Part (FENG AI), documentary. 227 minutes
      Nantes Three Continents Film Festival – Montgolfière d’Argent prize
      Venice 70: Future Reloaded, short film
      Curated and premiered at Venice Film Festival

      2012
      Alone, documentary, 89 minutes.
      Geneva Black Film Festival – Jury Prize
      Three Sisters (SAN ZIMEI): documentary, 153 minutes.
      Venice Film Festival, Premiere – Best Film in “Orizzonti”
      Fribourg International Film Festival – Best Film (Grand Prize), Ecumenical Jury Award
      Young Critics Award, Audience Award,
      Nantes Three Continents Film Festival – Best Film (Grand Prize), Audience Award
      Dubai International Film Festival – Best Director prize

      2010
      THE DITCH (JIA BIAN GOU): fiction, 119 minutes.
      Venice Film Festival – International Competition, Premiere
      ANDREI TARKOVSKY International Film Festival “ZERKALO” (THE MIRROR),
      Jury Prize, Prize of Spirit of the Mirror.
      Top 10 Foreign Movies, Kinema Junpo 2011, Japan – best foreign film director

      2009
      Happy Valley (XI YANG TANG), documentary short film, 19 minutes
      A project of “The Complete Letters, Filmed Correspondence”, Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB)
      Coal Money (TONG DAO): documentary, 52 minutes.
      Cinema Du Réel, International Competition
      Documenta Madrid – 2nd Jury Prize.

      2007
      Fengming, A Chinese Memoir (HE FENGMING), documentary, 186 minutes
      Cannes Film Festival Official Selection, Premiere
      Yamagata Documentary Film Festival – Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize
      Marseille International Documentary Film Festival – Georges de Beauregard Prize
      Cinema Digital Seoul – Young Critics Award
      Lisbon International Documentary Festival – IPJ University Prize
      Fribourg International Film Festival – Ecumenical Jury Award
      Brutality Factory (BAOLI GONGCHANG): short film, fiction, 15 minutes.
      Cannes Film Festival, Director’s Fortnight, Premiere

      2003
      West of the Tracks (TIE XI QU), documentary, final cut, 554 minutes
      Rotterdam Film Festival, Premiere
      Marseille International Documentary Film Festival — Grand Prize
      Yamagata Documentary Film Festival — Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize
      Nantes 3 Continents Film Festival (Documentary Section) — Golden Montgolfier (Grand Prize)
      Mexico City International Contemporary Film Festival, Best Documentary Prize
      Festival du film de Montréal, Best Documentary Prize

      2002
      West of the Tracks (TIE XI QU), documentary (5 hours cut)
      Berlin International Film Festival, Premiere
      Lisbon International Documentary Festival — Grand Prize
      All the films have also been shown at other film festivals, including:
      Toronto International Film Festival, Pusan International Film Festival, Vancouver International Film Festival, Documentary
      Fortnight at the New York Museum of Modern Art, Jeonju International Film Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Jihlava
      International Documentary Film Festival, Taipei International Film Festival, Melbourne International Arts Festival, TOKYO FILMeX
      International Film Festival, INDIE Festival, Sao Paulo, Hongkong Film Festival, Digital Cinema Seoul, Los Angeles Film Festival etc.


      VIDEO ART AND PHOTOGRAPHIC WORKS

      2020
      Scenes (Chang Jing), Video Art, 54 min
      Premiered at the group exhibition Chine Afrique in Centre Pompidou.

      2018
      Beauty Lives in Freedom-Gao Ertai (Mei Zai Zi You-Gao Ertai) Video Art, 295 min
      Premiered at Museo Reina Sofía and Filmoteca Española

      2017
      “15 Hours” (SHIWU XIAOSHI), video installation, 15h50min,
      Documenta 14, Athens, National Museum of Contempory Art and
      Kino Gloria, Kassel, collection of CNAP, France

      2014
      Man with No Name (WUMINGZHE), Father and Sons (FU YU ZI)
      Trace (YI ZHI) Photography
      Trace (YI ZHI): Video Art, shot in 35mm, 29 minutes
      Clermont Ferrand Short Film Festival, Collection of M+ Museum Hong Kong
      Father and Sons (FU YU ZI): Video Art, 87 minutes
      Lisbon International Documentary Festival – Best Film (Grand Prize)

      2009
      Father and Sons (FU YU ZI): Video Art, 87 minutes
      Lisbon International Documentary Festival – Best Film (Grand Prize)
      Crude Oil” (YUAN YOU): Video Installation, 14 hours
      Premiered at Rotterdam Film Festival 2008 – Special Mention Prize
      Man with No Name (WUMINGZHE): Video Art, 96 minutes
      Fengming, A Chinese Memoir (HE FENGMING): Video Art, 226 minutes


      HONOURS

      2021
      Winner of Chanel Next Prize

      2018/2019
      Masterclass at School of Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences(EHESS), Paris
      Guest professor at Le Fresnoy-Studio National des Arts Contemporains

      2017
      Winner of Eye Art & Film Prize, Netherland

      2016
      Jury member at International Competition of Locarno International Film Festival
      Invited to join the Oscar Masterclass

      2015
      Jury member at Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival

      2014
      President of Jury at Marseille International Film Festival, France

      2012
      Jury member at Digital Seoul Film Festival
      Honorary doctorate degrees from University of Paris 8, France

      2010
      Jury member at Doc Madrid

      2007
      Jury member at Hong Kong Film Festival

      2006
      Awarded the French National Order of Merit (Légion d’honneur)

      2004
      Residency at Ciné-fondation of Cannes Film Festival


      MEDIA

      2004
      West of the Tracks rated one of the 10 best films of 2004 by Cahiers du Cinéma

      2010
      West of the Tracks rated one of the 10 best films made between 2001 and 2010, by Cahiers du Cinéma

      2012
      West of the Tracks rated as one of the Top 250 greatest films of all time by Sight and Sound Magazine

      2014
      West of the Tracks rated as one of the Top 50 greatest documentary films of all time by Sight and Sound Magazine,
      the only Chinese film in the Top 50

      2014
      Three Sisters selected as one of Top 10 Foreign Movies by Kinema Junpo 2013, Japan

      SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

      2021
      “Wang Bing’s Filmmaking of the China Dream“ by Elena Pollachi, Published by Amsterdam University Press.
      “Wang Bing – L’oeil qui marche“, Published by Le Bal and Delpire & Co
      “The Walking Eye“, Published by Le BAL and Roma (English version)

      2020
      “Wang Bing – un geste documentaire de notre temps“ by Antony Fiant, Published by WARM Publications

      2015
      “Wang Bing A Filmmaker in China Today“, Monograph, Published by Publications de l’Université de Provence, France
      (English version)

      2014
      “Wang Bing : Un cinéaste en Chine aujourd’hui“, Monograph, Published by Publications de l’Université de Provence,
      France (French version)
      “Alors, la Chine” (Interviews with Wang Bing), Published by Les Prairies Ordinaires, France (in French)

      2012
      “Epilogue de l’homme sans nom” : article by Georges Didi-Huberman, in « Peuples exposés, peuples figurants », published
      by Les Éditions de Minuit, France (in French)

      2010
      “Wang Bing”, publication (in Italian) by Milano Film Makers Film Festival

      • A CONVERSATION WITH WANG BING