BIO

Born and raised in Shenyang, China, Chunbo (Bo) is a painter and printmaker currently lives in Chicago. She grew up in an artistic family, both her parents are retired art professors and two sisters are painters. At age of 15, Bo and her twin sister passed the national entry exam to attend the Affiliated High School of Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing where she began her professional art training. In 1994, Bo received her B.F.A in Printmaking from CAFA. Two years later, she and her twin sister came to America to expand their education in fine art. In 2004, Bo received her M.F.A in Drawing & Painting and Printmaking from Emest G. Welch School of Art & Design at Georgia State University in Atlanta, and has lived in the US since late 90s.

Bo’s cross-cultural living experience enables her to explore the difference and connection between Chinese and American culture in her art. Her current paintings and installations use food to reflect the anxiety she has experienced as a foreigner living in America and adapting to its culture. Bo approaches her paintings in realistic and surrealistic style by juxtaposing Chinese antique porcelain wares with American food to deal with the duality of classical Chinese and contemporary American culture, fine art and food, high and low aesthetics in a humorous way. Her installations reveal the frustration and capability that Chinese immigrants have gone through to adapt American culture by presenting their negative and positive response to American fast and processed food.

Bo has exhibited her works nationally and internationally at numerous venues including China National Museum of Art, Beijing, China; Shanghai Pudong International Airport, China; Shenzhen Art Museum, China; Elmhurst Art Museum, Elmhurst, IL; Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, Sedalia, MO; Giertz Gallery at Parkland College, Champaign, IL; Hyde Park Art Center, Evanston Art Center, The Art Center Highland Park, Bridgeport Art Center, Zhou B Art Center and Women Made Gallery, Chicago, IL; Lightwell Gallery at University of Oklahoma, School of Art & Art History, Norman, OK; University Library Gallery at California State University, Sacramento, CA; Whitespace Gallery and Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta, GA among others. Her works are included in the public collections of Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon (Portland), College of Art & Sciences at Clayton State University (Atlanta), the Ministry of Culture of China (Beijing) and Central Academy of Fine Arts (Beijing). Bo is the awardee of 2019 SPARK grants given by Chicago Artists Coalition. She attended residences at Vermont Studio Center, Center Program at Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, Bloedel Reserve, Bainbridge Island, WA, Atlanta Contemporary Art Center and Poligrafa Printmaking Workshop, Barcelona, Spain.