傅文俊 Fu Wenjun

The exhibition title You Need Books draws inspiration from the phrase: “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light; history said, ‘Let there be books,’ and there were books.” Since its debut in December 2019 at the Luo Zhongli Art Museum, the exhibition has toured five locations: Tibet Hotel in Chengdu, Biyun Art Museum in Jinqiao, Pudong, Shanghai, Yunnan University in Kunming, and Bishan Library in Chongqing. Along the journey, many artists have participated in this book-themed art exhibition centered on creative expression through the idea of books.
This release is divided into two parts. The first, already published, introduces artists who participated in the Bishan stop of the exhibition. The second part includes all other participating artists and presents the previously featured “Graduate Book Language” project.
[Artwork Statement]
Books around the world—regardless of the language they are written in—tell the countless stories of humanity. In times when information was scarce, books served as windows and doors to the outside world. In our modern era, with smartphones and rapid internet access, global information is available at our fingertips in an instant, and books may appear obsolete. Yet in cafes, waiting rooms, trains, and planes abroad, I often see people quietly reading, young and old, male and female. Amid noise, the persistence of quiet reading, to me, proves that books remain as “useful” as ever.
Ancient Chinese wisdom taught that books contain beauty and treasure: “Within books, there are beauties as fair as jade, and houses of gold.” In my own experience, books still allow modern readers to understand human emotions, witness the shifts of time, and step by step explore timeless human questions: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?
Compared to the fast pace of modern life, reading is one pursuit that cannot be rushed. It requires accumulation over time and nurtures the mind and spirit in subtle, profound ways. Not reading is a frightening prospect; yet reading is not difficult—it simply requires quiet perseverance, the willingness to seek and savor the spiritual joy and enrichment that books bring.
[Artist Bio]
Fu Wenjun is a Chinese contemporary artist. He graduated from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute and works across photography, installation, sculpture, and oil painting. He is the founder and originator of the art genre known as “Digital Pictorial Photography.”

The publication of Chinese Contemporary Art Documentation (2018–2020) serves as vivid evidence and carries significant historiographical meaning. Its rich content and academic orientation demonstrate the multiple possibilities and vibrant vitality of today’s Chinese contemporary art, as well as the broad prospects for its future development in the new era. This vitality and potential are deeply rooted in the fertile soil of Chinese culture and spirit and closely reflect the societal progress of contemporary China.
We are currently living in the era of big data, characterized by the rapid transmission of information and the co-creation and sharing of data on a massive scale. The world is becoming smaller, more transparent, and increasingly intelligent. Gone are the days when one could achieve fame simply by hoarding foreign art materials and piecing together second-hand knowledge. Today, recognition depends on genuine talent and solid scholarship—on real sensitivity, real skills, and real expertise.
—Excerpt from the Preface The Evolution of an Era in Chinese Contemporary Art, by Zhang Xiaojun
Published in Chinese Contemporary Art Documentation (2018–2020)
Publication Details:
Publisher: Hunan Fine Arts Publishing House
Publication Date: August 2021
ISBN: 978-7-5356-9590-1

Three series by artist Fu Wenjun—National Treasure, Stamps, and Green Hills and Blue Waters—were presented at the 2022 edition of PHOTO INDEPENDENT, which opened on July 9. The fair featured the work of over 60 artists from around the world, using an online platform to foster dialogue between artists, galleries, collectors, and enthusiasts. The event ran through July 31.
Founded in 2014 and traditionally held in Hollywood, California, Photo Independent launched its first online edition in 2022. Since its inception, the fair has focused on fine art photography and has become known for showcasing the ever-evolving aesthetics of photographic art through high-quality works.
About National Treasure
The term “national treasure” does not refer to abstract relics, but rather to objects that connect individuals with their regional history. These objects evoke a powerful sense of historical presence. This sense of “presence” and “site” together shape both culture and psychology—they exist in reality, not in imagination. Through them, the bloodline of a people’s culture is revealed.
About Stamps
No nation can inherit tradition unchanged over the course of a long cultural evolution. In both East and West, tradition and classical imagery have become ambiguous or even vanished under the impact of commerce and consumer culture. At the same time, the cultural identities of individual nations are increasingly threatened by the cultural dominance of more powerful countries.
Fu Wenjun can be regarded as a persistent explorer of cultural and historical issues. At the 2013 Voices of the Unseen parallel exhibition of the Venice Biennale, his work left a deep impression on me. Although I had been following his art before, the Biennale made me realize the continuity in his practice: a clear thread of reflection on culture and history. In his Stamps series, Fu skillfully merges postage stamps with iconic images from both Eastern and Western traditions—but these images appear incomplete or fragmented.
— Liao Shani, Curator and Researcher, Guangdong Museum of Art
About Green Hills and Blue Waters
Urban development initially turned away from nature, only to later seek a return to the harmony of “Heaven and Man as One.” Indeed, the advancement of civilization is always accompanied by a desire to revisit and memorialize the past.
No matter how advanced technology becomes, the longing for the maternal embrace of nature persists. In contemporary society, this sentiment has evolved: having experienced the coldness of skyscrapers, urban planning now increasingly values public green spaces—parks, botanical gardens, and zoos—all reconstructed representations of nature confined by human design. On a smaller scale, every household nurtures plants, and bonsai stands as the most extreme artistic expression of this instinct.
Bonsai is a man-made form of nature, a miniature reconstruction of mountains, water, and vegetation within a tiny space. It seeks to reestablish a visual and emotional connection to nature. In the era of digital technology and image saturation, even our phones and computers favor nature-themed backgrounds. From a visual standpoint, representations of nature have never been so developed.