BIO

Wolf Boxuan Chen (b. November 10, 2000, Wenzhou, China) is a contemporary painter based in San Francisco, United States. A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, with a BA in Fine Arts, Chen specializes in paper cutouts and acrylic on linen. They are best known for their journalistic approach to painting, employing a monochromatic palette and minimalist figurative language characterized by strong silhouettes and simplified subjects.

Chen’s work explores the universal truths and guidance embedded in the relationships between humans and objects, as well as their interchangeability. Their breakthrough series, “A Bike Isn’t a Bike If No One’s Biking It” (2024), marked a pivotal moment in their career, solidifying their distinctive artistic approach. This series defies traditional pictorial language by emphasizing the journalistic integrity of painting to document real events and uncover the connections between the body and objects.

Wolf Boxuan Chen’s work has been exhibited at Washington University in St. Louis, the United States and G-CADD in Granite City, the United States, and has been featured in ARMOUR Magazine, St. Louis, the United States. Their works are held in private collections worldwide, reflecting the wide appeal of their approach to minimalist documentary painting.

CV

Wolf Boxuan Chen
Born in Wenzhou, China, 2000.
Lives and works in San Francisco, the United States of America.

Education/Training

BA in Arts, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, the United States of America, 2020-24

Selected exhibitions

2024   BA 2024 Senior Show (group exhibition), The Chapel, St. Louis, the United States of America
2023   13 Body Problem (group exhibition), Washington University in St.Louis, St. Louis, the United States of America
2022   Time + Space (group exhibition), Washington University in St.Louis, St. Louis, the United States of America
2022   Women in Philosophy (group exhibition), Washington University in St.Louis, St. Louis, the United States of America
2022   A Celebration of G-CADD (group exhibition), G-CADD, Granite City, the United States of America

Collections

Wolf Boxuan Chen is collected by various private collectors in the United States of America, Canada, and China.

Professional Experience

2024-present, Art Director, Wolf-C Studio, San Francisco, California, the United States of America
2021-2023, Wood Shop Assistant, Washington University in St.Louis, St. Louis, the United States of America
2022, Art Director, ARMOR Magazine, St. Louis, the United States of America