| Artist | Qiurui Du | Resides | China |
| Website | duqiurui.com | Medium | Acrylic |
| Print Shop | artsper.com/qiuruidu | duqiuru@gmail.com | |
| Representing Gallery | EYECANDIES Shanghai, China Kui Yuan Gallery Guangzhou, China | Themes | Contemporary Chinese Society Urban Satire Consumer Culture Camp Aesthetics Gender Performance Social Anxiety Dark Humor Middle-Aged Women (Dama) |
| Follow the Artist |
About the artist
Qiurui Du is a contemporary artist based in Shanghai, China. Du constructs theatrical, high-saturation paintings that explore the contradictions and anxieties of contemporary Chinese urban life through camp aesthetics and dark humor.
Central to Du’s practice is the character Dama Wang, a satirical representation of middle-aged Chinese women who embody the contradictions of modern urban society. Through this figure’s eyes, Du guides viewers through a contemporary Chinese ukiyo-e filled with urban farce, temple fairs, bumper cars, and consumer culture rituals. His major series include “Telenovelas,” examining exaggerated gender performance through soap opera aesthetics; “A Bizarre World,” exploring childhood memories and social conflicts; and “Nuclear Family,” satirizing contemporary family dynamics.
Du has exhibited extensively in solo shows at institutions including Today Art Museum Beijing, Common Art Centre in Beijing’s 798 Art District, and EYECANDIES Shanghai. His work has been featured at Phillips Hong Kong auctions. He has collaborated with brands including WWF x Alibaba, Plaza 66, and VANS. As founder of the E.E. (Extra Exist) Art Group, Du is committed to supporting emerging Asian artists.
Artwork Themes & Subject Matter
Du Qiurui’s work explores contemporary Chinese urban life through satirical narratives that examine social anxiety, gender dynamics, consumer culture, and generational conflict. Central themes include the contradictions of modern Chinese society, the tension between tradition and westernization, the pressure of aging and female beauty standards, and the absurdity of middle-class materialism.
His paintings feature exaggerated theatrical scenarios depicting temple fairs, shopping malls, karaoke bars, beauty salons, and domestic spaces where characters navigate social hierarchies and perform cultural rituals. The work critically examines women’s roles in contemporary China, particularly middle-aged women (dama) who embody conflicting values, conservative yet westernized, frugal yet status-conscious.
Additional themes include family dysfunction, the performance of happiness, soap opera melodrama, identities, social class anxiety, and the grotesque spectacle of consumer capitalism. Through camp aesthetics and dark humor, Du creates a surreal commentary on urban farce, using vivid colors and flat imagery to mask deeper critiques of impermanence, social conformity, and the psychological toll of rapid modernization. His work resonates with audiences interested in contemporary Asian art, social satire, pop surrealism, gender studies, and cultural commentary on China’s transformation.
Press
Qiurui Du’ paintings have been featured in notable magazines, online sources and artbooks including Artist book: The Bizarre World of Qiurui Du, Billson Publication, TREND 100, VISION magazine, Character: Amplified Emotions, 1626 Magazine, Moebius Strip of Growth, CollectibleDRY Magazine, Artist book: Pearl Droppings, Kuiyuan Gallery, Kelvin Huang, Interview: Promise To Protect The Ocean, Rayli Magazine, Interview: Follow My Heart, Rayli Home Magazine, Rayli Home, To Define Open-relationships, Fashion Vista Magazine, Interview: Using Pop Art To Tell People’s Stories, WEART magazine, Creat! Magazine Summer 2019 issue.
Upcoming Exhibitions
| When | Exhibition | Gallery |
| March 2026 | Group exhibition: ‘Train To Spring’ | TanArt Community Art Center, Xi’an, China |
CV
Education
2018
Illustration, Parsons School of Design, New York, United States
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2025
One Man Show, Yan Han Art Center, Shenzhen, China
The Adventure of Love, Kean University, Whenzhou, China
2024
The Silent Flying Tears, Kuiyuan Gallery, Guangzhou, China
Telenovelas, EYECANDIES X Kuiyuan Gallery, Shanghai, China
To Love The Unloved, TCCA, Xiamen, China
2023
Garish, Common Art Center, Beijing, China
Plastic Spring, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo, China
2022
If Tears Were In Colors, Kui Yuan Gallery, Guangzhou, China
2019
The Adventure of Dama Wang, Able Fine Art Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
2018
A Bizarre Dream, Van Der Plas Gallery, New York, United States
Selected Group Exhibitions
2025
Blossom Time, Swatch Art Center, Shanghai, China
2024
Breaking the Scene Observation and Thought, Common Art Cnetr, Beijing, China
Spring Growing, De Qiu Museum, Shanghai, China
Public Park, EYECANDIES X Kuiyuan Gallery, Shanghai, China
2023
New Now & Design, Phillips, Hong Kong, China
Together, Common Art Center, Beijing, China
2022
Welcome To The Jungle, Haihui Modern Art Museum, Zhengzhou, China
Trendy Art Biennale, Song Art Museum, Beijing, China
Be Your Light, UAC, Qingdao, China
Molecular Gastronomy, CAMUS, Shanghai, China
IM.MEDIA.TE, Q Art Club (K11), Shanghai, China
2021
Nothing Invisible, Time Art Museum, Chongqing, China
2020
From The Page 2, Paradigm Gallery, Philadelphia, United States
Fun Cao Di – Post Hieroglyph Guide, Parkview Green Gallery, Beijing, China
2019
Under The Lion Forest, The First Taihu Biennale, Suzhou, China
Divide Oneself, Another Art Center, Beijing, China
Asia Illustration Fair, Powerlong Museum, Shanghai, China
The 8 Elements, Van Der Plas Gallery, New York, United States
Here There, The Oculus World Trade Center, New York, United States
2018
Illusion, Able Fine Art NY Gallery, New York, United States
