Deng Shiqing (1992) is a graduate of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, where she won multiple student awards. She earned a MFA at the New York Academy of Fine Art. Deng has won multiple competitions including:  First prize in the Art Renewal Center’s International Salon art competition; “Best of Show’’ in the International Biennial Portrait Competition; Finalist of BP Portrait Award and honorable mentions from The Bennett Prize and the 2018 – 2019 Chubb Fellow Competition. In 2023 Demo won the coveted Bennett Prize 3. Her work has been exhibited at the National Museum of China in Beijing, Da Fen Art Museum in Shenzen, the United Nations’ building, Sotheby’s in New York City, as well as in group shows in New York and Miami. Among the latest exhibitions worldwide there are: “Forgery of Reality” in May-July 2024, the first solo show in Europe, curated by Charles Moore, at C+N Gallery CANEPANERI Milan, Italy; and “the real and the absurd” in August-September 2024, a solo show at Gian Enzo SPERONE Sent, Switzerland.

New series of works. Artist’s statement

Through this series of artworks, I explore the complexities of childbirth. My inspiration for this theme came after watching a documentary on YouTube, where a Chinese individual who runs a surrogacy company in the U.S. was interviewed. He shared shocking details about the industry - one of the most astonishing being that someone had ordered hundreds of babies, something I could never have imagined

After finishing the documentary, I was deeply disturbed. Women are naturally endowed with the physiological ability to conceive and give birth. However, these biological differences often lead to societal inequality, making it easier for women’s bodies to be treated as mere vessels. Advances in technology have only added new layers of complexity. The surrogacy market is booming - while it offers hope to those unable to conceive, it also opens the door for those with power and wealth to exploit the system in unsettling ways. It’s neither entirely good nor entirely bad, which is why I am so fascinated by it.

This subject also reminds me of a highly controversial event in the U.S.- the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn women’s abortion rights. Issues surrounding women’s reproductive rights are endless and timeless, and I feel compelled to explore them further.

In my work, I enjoy telling dark stories with humor and sarcasm. Eggs and fruit are recurring motifs, symbolizing fertility and reproduction. I use a variety of mediums - including oil, acrylic, airbrush, charcoal, and oil stick - to create rich and visually engaging compositions.

*The images are represantitive, the works are under production