I have created a series of still-life photographs depicting fruits and vegetables bought from the Green Carts, focusing on the simple beauty of the food along with the labels, boxes, and other packing. My idea is to show how produce sold in a humble way on the street is equally enticing to that which is bought in expensive stores with cleverly designed marketing.
Born and raised in Shanghai, Shen Wei is a fine art photographer currently based in New York City. Shen’s photographs have been widely exhibited, with venues including the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, Massachusetts; the Australian Center for Photography, Paddington; the Seattle Center on Contemporary Art; Kunst Licht Gallery, Shanghai; and the Saatchi Gallery for the Zoo Art Fair, London. His photographs have been featured in various publications, including American Photo, Chinese Photography, Photo District News, Photo Review, Life Magazine (China), China Photo Press, and La Tempestad. Shen is a recipient of the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Creative Artist Residency, the 2007 Griffin Award from the Griffin Museum of Photography, the 2008 Urban Artist Initiative New York City Fellowship, and Manhattan Community Arts Fund Grants in 2007 and 2008. Shen was named one of the fifteen “new generation of photo pioneers” by American Photo in 2007, and was also part of PDN’s annual “30 New and Emerging Photographers to Watch” list in 2008. Shen holds an MFA in photography, video, and related media from the School of Visual Arts, New York; a BFA in photography from Minneapolis College of Art and Design; and a BA in decorative arts and design from Shanghai Light Industry College.
