​Bolan Chen

Bolan Chen was born on a ship in China 1955. His family were Chinese Opera performers from Shanghai.  As a child, he was often taken to the theatre to watch his father performing from the wings of the stage.  His interest in painting was nurtured by his uncle, a piano composer.  His uncle was determined to educate Bolan in the western traditions, teaching him classical music and inspiring him with stories of The Renaissance.  Music and books provided the stimulus for Bolan’s first paintings.

 

Bolan grew up during the upheavals of the Cultural Revolution.  He worked for seven years, first on construction sites, and then on building stage sets for theaters, all of which gave him a rich experience of life.  From 1980 to 1984, he studied in the Department of Fine Arts at Shanghai University.  Upon graduation, he taught painting at high school for two years.  In 1986, he left Shanghai for Japan to participate in a group exhibition.  A year later, he presented his first solo exhibition in Yokohama.  For a year in 1989, he studied Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo.  

 

Bolan’s childhood dream was to go to Europe.  In 1991, he went to London and obtained the status of a British artist, which enabled him to work in UK.  In the same year, he set up his studio in Central London.  Since then, he has exhibited in London, Geneva, Milano, Beijing, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.  In 2003, he returned with his family to Japan, and now lives and works in Fukuoka.