Born in ShiJiaZhuang, China, in 1992, Han Bing currently lives and works between ShiJiaZhuang and Florence, Italy. His practice defies fixed rules, borrowing and reworking elements from diverse cultures, eras, and media. Merging myths, religions, comics, and “bad paintings,” Bing’s work resists a singular cultural background, creating a dynamic interplay of returning and repeated imagery.
Han Bing has presented notable solo exhibitions with Suburbia Contemporary, including *You Have Never Been to Singapore* (2021) in Barcelona, with a text by Sun Yuan, and *Motus Anime* (2017) at the Basilica San Lorenzo in Florence. His work has also been included in group exhibitions such as *Urban Environments and Imaginary Spaces* (2021) with Suburbia Contemporary in Barcelona and *The Calling of Harsh* (2022), an online and on-site exhibition at TANK Shanghai, jointly initiated by artist Jia Aili. This special project brought together artists and students from the top art academies in China to explore the theme of “Harsh.”
In addition to his collaboration with Suburbia Contemporary, Bing’s work has been showcased internationally in exhibitions such as *Segno condiviso VI* (2017) in Belgrade, *Il Blu dell’Europa – Ratto d’Europa* (2017) at Palazzo Chigi Zondadari in Siena, and *Forme nel verde* (2017) in San Quirico d’Orcia. He has participated in esteemed art events, including the *X Premio Internazionale Biennale d’Incisione* (2017) at Museo Novecento Città di Monsummano Terme and *Premio Nazionale delle Arti* (2017) at Palazzo Ducale, Urbino. His works are part of the public collection at Museo Novecento, Monsummano Terme.
With Suburbia Contemporary, Han Bing’s art has been featured in major art fairs, including Enter Art Fair in Copenhagen (2023).
Bing’s recent work explores dualities within a single image, as observed in his series of watercolors discussed in a text by Sun Yuan. His paintings juxtapose vivid, graceful depictions of animals and fish with subdued, cryptic symbols—such as tridents, lotus buds, and axes—that transform into evocative metaphors. This interplay reflects a complex narrative, oscillating between childlike innocence and mature storytelling, ultimately revealing the artist’s introspective exploration of identity and existence.
Two bodies, text by Sun Yuan
In Han Bing’s new watercolors I found an interesting phenomenon. These paintings look like they were made by two people. One of them painted beautiful fish and animals, while the other painted something malicious. These two people work on the same image and the content they paint often conflicts. The person who painted fishes and animals used paint and water with grace and freedom, occupying the whole painting, with a strong attitude. The attitude of the other person is completely opposite. He seems to be trying to hide what he wants to paint. He hasn’t any expressive skills, he paints very light lines with water after the paper has dried. It is difficult to tell. This content seems to be important and I have to observe it carefully. First of all, in all the images there is a very unique symbol. Sometimes it looks like a trident, other times a bud of a lotus flower (typical in Chinese painting) until it becomes an ax. His appearance is constantly changing, but he has always been stubbornly present in every image. This symbol even evolves into a fruit skewer. Thinking of the lotus and the trident, this thin stick with different foods seems to be the metaphor of a Buddhist stick. It is a combination of a trident, with three heads, magical objects and ribbons, which represent a symbol of reverential timor. All of these similarities are hidden by the author’s efforts. It becomes a mysterious existence or life form. Despite the contrast between them, these two authors always express their own self in the same way, as if they were a person with two bodies, together manifest the complexity of being. In all of Han Bing’s paintings there is a kind of childlike innocence, and in this series of paintings he shows a certain maturity. But maybe that’s not the real him. It is difficult for you to see him, simply because he is trying to hide himself, emphasizing his existence, he is telling a secret story.
