Sun Wentao

Born in Heilongjiang Province in 1975, Sun Wentao is a designer whose creations capture the poetry and creativity of Chinese tradition and culture.

A graduate from the Sculpture Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Sun’s works are inspired by traditional Chinese culture and history. However, he takes a very contemporary approach to sculptural design often incorporating modern, principally stainless steel, or recycled materials into his works. Themes such as scholar's rocks, Chinese landscapes, lotus, bamboo, and water, all make their appearance, sometimes presenting paradoxical or comedic twist. A featured artist of the Ullens Center Design Store and involved in numerous industrial design projects around China, Wentao is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the regions most notable creative minds.

In 2000, Sun Wentao graduated from the Academy of Art + Design at Tsinghua University with a degree in sculpture. During his university years, he began contributing, designing, and curating for retrospective exhibitions in Hong Kong and Macau. Sun Wentao has participated in numerous exhibitions in China and abroad, including the Messe Frankfurt Interior Lifestyle Exhibition in Shanghai, China (2007), the 15th China - ROK hospitality Art Exhibition (2008), the Milan Triennale (2010), the “China New Design” Exhibition (2011), and more. In September 2011, he was selected as co-curator for “Landscape of the Spirit: Chinese Design 2011”, the leading exhibition for Beijing Design Week at the China Shijitan Contemporary Art Center.

Sun Wentao’s highly innovative and imaginative works break through the grim confines of design restrictions in this industrial age and restore some of the gentle, ethereal poetry of Chinese design.