Gao Lei was born in 1980 in Changsha, the capital city of Hunan Province. After graduation from the Fine Art department at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 2001, he continued his studies at the Digital Media department and was awarded a master’s degree in 2006. Gao’s works are characterised by his experimental use of isolated and alienated daily objects and have been exhibited in many domestic and international solo and group exhibitions. Simplified silhouettes of everyday items and low saturated colours are evident in his paintings, photographs and instalaltions. Their minimal and emotionless surfaces mask subtle tensions between order and chaos, control and resistance, the everyday and the uncanny. He is a member of the ‘post 80s’ generation of Chinese artists, born into a new era of economic reforms and dramatic social change. His work, similar to his contemporaries, focuses on social issues through material experimentation, forming a critique of the power of social structures and the spaces we inhabit to shape the behaviours of individuals. Gao Lei lives and works in Beijing.

The White Rabbit Collection is one of the world’s most extensive and significant collections of contemporary art from China. With a focus on works created since the year 2000, the Collection contains almost 3,000 works by over 750 artists and continues to expand. Note that when you click on the link below you will be forwarded to the White Rabbit Collection website.

Explore the work of Gao Lei in the collection database