Hu Qiren - Visual Artist
Hu Qiren (b. 1983) is a visual artist, educator and administrator, whose practice investigates the myriad forms of imaging making, incorporating a wide range of media, including photography, video, installation and performance. Expressing a vibrant visual vocabulary inspired by his own identity and tradition, Qiren synthesizes cultural binaries, while incessantly challenging notions of authenticity, belief and value systems.
After completing his studies in Photography and Digital Imaging at the School of Art, Design and Media, Nanyang Technological University of Singapore in 2012, Qiren obtained a scholarship the following year to further his education in Fine Arts at Parsons The New School for Design. During his time in New York, he apprenticed under the tutelage of Hiroshi Sugimoto for more than 5 years before he returned to his native country, Singapore.
Qiren has showcased his works at international galleries, institutions and festivals including the One World Trade Center, Queens Museum, Aperture Foundation, Louvre Museum, National Museum of Singapore, National Gallery Singapore, Singapore International Photography Festival and ART SG. In 2016, he was the grand winner of the Harper’s BAZAAR Art Prize.
Education
2015 Parsons The New School for Design, New York City (Provost Scholarship)
MFA in Photography
2012 School of Art, Design and Media, Nanyang Technological University of Singapore
BFA in Photography and Digital Imaging
2003 School of Design, Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore
Diploma in Interior Architecture and Design
Awards
2021 Le Prix de la Photographie de Paris (PX3), Silver
2016 Harper’s BAZAAR Art Prize, Grand Prize Winner
2016 Moscow International Foto Awards, Honorable Mention
2013 Parsons The New School For Design, The Provost Scholarship
Exhibitions
Selected Solo
2024 All That Glitters, Richard Koh Fine Art, Singapore
2022 Strange Times, Richard Koh Fine Art, Singapore
2021 S.E.A. Focus Curated: hyper-horizon, An STPI Project, Singapore
2019 Dunman Higher, DECK, Singapore
Selected Group
2024 Drink It While Its Hot, Objectifs, Singapore
2024 ART SG, Singapore
2023 Gallery Benefit Gala, National Gallery Singapore
2023 ART SG, Singapore
2022 InterPrintations, Straits Gallery, Singapore
2021 Julius Baer Next Generation Art Prize, Singapore
2021 7th Singapore International Photography Festival, Art Science Museum, Singapore
2020 In Your Own Frame (10th Anniversary Show), Richard Koh Fine Art, Singapore
2020 A Decade Together / Apart, Richard Koh Fine Art, Singapore
2019 See | me + ChaShaMa, One World Trade Center, New York
2018 Queens International, Queens Museum, New York
2016 Nonspace, Recess Gallery, New York
2016 Moscow International Foto Awards, Moscow
2016 Harper’s BAZAAR Art Prize, Robinsons The Heeren, Singapore
2015 PUSH PULL, Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, Parsons MFA Photography Thesis Exhibition,
New York
2015 The Body Collection, Exposure Award, Louvre Museum, Paris
2015 Hyphen, Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia
2015 Future Projections, Studio One, Auckland Festival of Photography, Silo Park, New Zealand
2014 PHOTOFEAST, University Center Lobby, Parsons New School of Design, New York
2014 The New Academy, WAH Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, New York
2014 Photoville, Brooklyn Bridge Park, New York
2014 First Summer Open, curated by Chris Boot, Executive Director, Aperture Foundation, New York
2014 Made in China, Brooklyn Fire Proof, New York
2013 Photoville, Brooklyn Bridge Park, New York
2013 13th Pingyao International Photography Festival, Shanxi Province, China
2013 Conversations with the Everyday, Centre for Contemporary Art, Gillman Barracks, Singapore
2013 PORTRAITS - ポートレイトの新しい息吹, Theory of Clouds Gallery & Community Worldwide, Kobe, Japan
2012 3rd Singapore International Photography Festival, Singapore
2012 12th Pingyao International Photography Festival, Shanxi Province, China
2012 ADM Show 2012 : A Reflective Dialogue, 2902 Gallery, Singapore
2011 Kuala Lumpur International Photoawards, MAP KL White Box Gallery, Malaysia
2011 Incandescent : Shedding light on the Cultures and Caves of Yunan, 2902 Gallery, Singapore
2010 Asian Mosaics, 2nd Singapore International Photography Festival, City Square Mall, Singapore
2010 International Orange Photo Festival, Changsha City, Orange Island, China
2010 The Crowbar Awards, Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore
2010 5TH Ngee Ann Photography Exhibition, Ngee Ann Cultural Centre, Singapore
2010 Variegated Realities, Alliance Francaise de Singapour SOCIETE GENERALE Private Banking Gallery, Singapore
2008 Singapore Young Photographer Award, The National Museum of Singapore, Singapore