Methodologically, Ren fiercely rejects the theatrical "performance" prevalent in Western contemporary art, regressing instead to the blunt form of "manual labor" (干活). He throws himself into futile physical cycles—carrying, jumping, spitting, or enduring extreme cold—using severe physical exhaustion to violently confront base materials. In a banal era devoid of an absolute target of power, these actions become objectless, individual martyrdoms.
During these extreme exertions, Ren actively severs empathy to achieve ultimate "self-alienation," splitting himself into an absolutely rational observer and a decaying physical material. For him, the exact microsecond when the meaningless physical toil is forced to halt and the alienated body completely collapses is the absolute point where absurd reality and the authentic self violently collide.
Education
Mural
2020-2024
MFA Royal College of Art
Arts & Humanities
2025-2026
Work Locations
TU Art Museum, CHINA
HANGAR SPACE, LONDON
Thames Studio, LONDON
Littlehampton, UK
Romford Station-Leytonstone, LONDON
Piccadilly Circus, LONDON
Greenwich Park, LONDON
...