Yan Lei

Yan Lei (b. 1965) is a Chinese contemporary artist based in Beijing who rose to prominence as part of the avant-garde generation emerging after the Cultural Revolution. His practice spans painting, installation, and conceptual art, often exploring themes of artistic authenticity, reproduction, and the commodification of art within the global market. He is particularly known for his self-referential and process-driven works that interrogate the nature of painting itself, including series where he appropriates and repaints images to question originality and authorship.