Chando Ao 敖乾枥
Chando Ao’s practice navigates between two extremes: on the one hand, his solo endeavors in paintings and drawings; on the other hand, he builds a complex and open system, which needs to be accomplished in conjunction with the external world, which includes robots, flora and fauna, software, food, machinery, exceptionally unique materials, and everyday consumer goods. This system is designed to engage the viewer, inviting them to touch, embrace, climb, and even juggle with the work. These two modes of creation mirror his dual states as an individual—introspectively sensing himself on one hand, and outwardly conveying a concise and fundamental sensory experience on the other.
Chando Ao was born in 1990 in Chongqing, China, and now lives and works in New York. He graduated from Tufts University + School of Museum of Fine Arts in 2016 and received The Chan Sculpture Award in 2015. He had solo exhibitions with Postmasters Gallery in New York in 2021-2022. His recent institution exhibitions include the Thoma Foundation (Santa Fe, 2022-2023), TAG Art Museum (Qingdao, 2022), and X Museum Triennial (Beijing, 2019). His solo exhibitions have been covered by Jerry Saltz for New York Magazine and Johanna Fateman for New Yorker; other press includes The Brooklyn Rail, Art Forum, Ocula, Hyperallergic, and more.