- Serica Initiative
- Oct 4
- 6 min read
Later this month, the dual-venue exhibition Shen Wei: STILL / MOVING will open at The Pocantico Center of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Katonah Museum of Art, illuminating the trailblazing career of visual artist, choreographer, and director Shen Wei.
Born in Hunan, China, into a family of music, visual, and performance artists, Shen Wei began his career in traditional Chinese art and dance forms before developing an interest in Western visual art and modern dance during his student years. Subsequently, he became a founding member of China’s first modern dance company, Guangdong Modern Dance Company, before moving to New York City in 1995. In the years following, Shen Wei built his career engaging with both visual art and performance, Eastern influences and Western influences, the reflective and the experimental. Praised as a “strikingly original artist” (The New York Times), Shen Wei has been hailed for the breadth, scope, and boldness of his work.
Shen Wei: STILL / MOVING celebrates thirty years of his visionary, award-winning career, including the founding of Shen Wei Dance Arts, Principal Choreographer of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony, recipient of the MacArthur “Genius” Grant, winner of the Dance Magazine 2024 Award, and tours in over 140 cities and 30 countries. Commemorating the occasion, Shen Wei joins the Serica Initiative in an exclusive conversation about his journey as an artist, individual, and cultural ambassador.
Growing Up As an Artist
"I have never imagined that one day i will have a career like this."
Serica Initiative: You’ve spoken before about growing up in a family of artists—your father is a Chinese opera performer and director, your mother is a theater producer, and your brothers are photographers, painters and calligraphers as well. As a child growing up in close proximity to the arts, did you imagine your career and oeuvre would be what it is now?
Shen Wei: When I was born in a small town in the Hunan Province of China, at that time my only hope was to go to a bigger city than the place where I was born. I have never imagined that one day I will have a career like this. In 1978, when I was 9 years old, my mom took me to an audition and I was selected to study Chinese Opera in the capital city of Hunan province, Changsha. In 1998, I auditioned and was selected to move to Guangzhou, one of the 3 most important cities in China at that time, and in 1994 I was awarded a scholarship to move to NYC. I think I always took it step-by-step, just doing my best in each moment. The most important thing is that you should never stop in any step, should always keep learning and understanding everything, keep growing to be a better version of yourself, to be wiser and creative with a great heart.
Serica Initiative: Since moving to NYC in 1995, you’ve worked all across the country and across the world. Coming from your background in Chinese opera, to later encountering Western culture and art, how have you developed as an artist with influences from the East, West, and beyond?
Shen Wei: When I joined art school in 1978, I was 9 years old. I began studying Chinese opera that was focused on Chinese traditional art and culture, and during that time I did not know anything about Western culture and arts, until the early 80s China began its open door policy. Our art school began to introduce Western arts and concepts. It gave me a different perspective and point of view, it was very interesting. Years later, I started to learn Western oil painting and modern dance in China, until 1995, when I got a scholarship and moved to NYC. I started to see the beauty of both Eastern and Western arts by the contrast of the difference. In my own thinking, I would like to create new art for the future, and create art that has both Eastern and Western cultural values. That everyone can understand each other’s differences and share each other’s beauty. I am very thankful to be an artist as I am today, that I have the chance to experience the different beauties of this world and understanding its complex cultural values.
Art of the Reflective Mind and Natural Movement
"How nice if all of our senses and feelings can be communicated at the same time."
Serica Initiative: Your work has been highly praised, especially for the multidisciplinary nature of the art you create. For most of your projects, you are responsible for the concept, choreography, set design, costume design, even working in video, animation, and sound design. How do you manage and process your work across all these different dimensions?
Shen Wei: All art forms and cultures have their own beauty and sense, and how nice if all of our senses and feelings can be communicated at the same time. That has been my goal for a long time. I keep learning and exploring all art forms and cultural values—to carry a full point of view is important in my creation, also it is the passion of my life during the past 30 years of my work in the US and around the world. When I discover and create something, I want to share the full sense and understanding of my art.
Serica Initiative: Your work is often very reflective, intimate, aligning, and connecting, embracing natural movement and contemplation. Has this mindfulness always come naturally to you? Is there something you wish more people, artists or otherwise, would know when it comes to mindfulness in body and spirit?
Shen Wei: I have always been very sensitive and like to think alone. I like to find out the meaning in arts, and the meaning of life. I want to create a better world by cultivating with the natural, and the developing and understanding of our unknown spirit. All the elements are out there and we just need to be more sensitive and aware. The creativity is something I always engage myself to do—I want to create a better understanding and happier world in my works. I always carry both the physical and spirit in my creation to communicate and engage people.
Looking Back, Looking Forward
" I would advise young people to keep their passion, be focused, find your own way to keep your life more meaningful."
Serica Initiative: This exhibition, STILL / MOVING, celebrates thirty years of your trailblazing, boundary-transcending, and incredibly prolific career. Looking back now, are there any moments that stand out to you as particularly memorable or meaningful?
Shen Wei: It is 30 years since I have moved to NYC in 1995, and 50 years in my artistic journey since my first time performing on stage in 1975. It feels as if I have so many different lives, each period has its own important moment.
I think 1978 was a very important moment that changed my life. I left my parents that year, when I was 9 years old, to study Chinese opera in a different city, and since then I have never return to my hometown with my parents. In 1985 I started to learn painting, and in 1989 I started to learn dance, in 1995 I moved to NYC, and in 1999 after my heart surgery in NYC, I feel as if I have a new body. In 2000, I founded my dance company Shen Wei Dance Arts, and in 2017 I faced a new challenge, extending my studio to Paris, starting working in US, France, and China, in a more international-based setting.
Serica Initiative: What advice would you give to a young person looking to develop a career in the arts in 2025? What are some mentors that you have looked up to in the past to help drive your career?
Shen Wei: I would advise young people to keep their passion, be focused, find your own way to keep your life more meaningful. Also, make sure to keep your talents with a pure, beautiful heart.
I always look up to and am inspired by the artist Da Vinci, his multi-disciplinary creations and discovery also make me feel the need to learn more and be more creative.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Meet Shen Wei on October 18 at An Afternoon Journey with Shen Wei: STILL / MOVING, the exclusive first look opening of the exhibition with rare access to the full scope of his groundbreaking work, and a live performance from Shen Wei Dance Arts.
