Forest Young
Unlike traditional artists, Forest Young comes from a background in China’s advertising industry, which has enabled him to seamlessly integrate art and communication. Almost every piece of his work carries significant social impact, establishing him as one of the most publicly engaging contemporary Chinese artists. Born in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province in 1973, Forest graduated from Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts in 1997. He is the only Chinese artist to win the prestigious Lion Award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for five consecutive years. Forest also founded TianYuKong, one of China’s leading advertising agencies. Forest’s works span a variety of art forms, including performance, installation, video, and painting, often addressing pressing social and cultural issues. His artistic practices and exhibitions demonstrate his active participation and significant contributions to contemporary art. His solo exhibition, “Traces or Track,”held in Rome, showcased his profound exploration of Chinese societal topics and Western universal values. In 2014, Forest orchestrated“No Talking Today,”a collaborative project involving 100 young artists that defied the Shanghai Biennale, making it one of the most influential art events of the year. His 2021 performance piece, “The Man Who Threw Golden Rice,” sparked widespread debate in Chinese society and became one of the top 10 trending topics of the year. In 2024, his exhibition “Approaching Countdown,”featuring 49 Taiwanese shoe soles arranged into a series of countdown paintings, inspired deep reflection among people across Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China. Forest Young’s work has garnered over 250 major international awards, including the **Gold Lion at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the D&AD Yellow Pencil Award, the London International Award Silver Prize, the ADC Award Silver Prize, the One Show Award Silver Prize, the CLIO Awards Silver Prize, the Grand Prix at White Square, the Grand Prix at ADFEST, and the Spikes Asia Gold Award. In both the global creative art and design industries, Forest Young’s accomplishments have cemented his reputation as a trailblazer. His cross-disciplinary achievements in art and advertising have enriched China’s artistic and advertising landscapes while offering profound social and cultural insights to the public.