Active online as a media artist, blogger, activist and programmer, aaajiao is the virtual persona of Shanghai- and Berlin- artist Xu Wenkai. Born in 1984—the title of George Orwell’s classic allegorical novel— and in one of China’s oldest cities, Xi’an, aaajiao’s art and works are marked by a strong dystopian awareness, literati spirits and sophistication. Many of aaajiao’s works speak to new thinkings, controversies and phenomenon around the Internet, with specific projects focusing on the processing of data, the blogsphere and China’s Great Fire Wall. aaajiao’s recent projects extend his practice to various disciplines (among them, architecture, topography, and design) to capture the pulse of the young generation consuming cyber technology and living in social media.

aaajiao’s work has been featured in numerous exhibitions around the world, upcoming and recent shows include “Art in the Age of the Internet, 1989 to Today”, The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, Boston (2018); “unREAL”, Haus der elektronischen Künste, Basel (2017); “Shanghai Project Part II”, Shanghai (2017); “Temporal Turn: Art and Speculation in Contemporary Asia”, Spencer Museum of Art, Kansas (2016); “Take Me (I’m Yours)” (curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Jens Hoffmann and Kelly Taxter), Jewish Museum, New York (2016); “Overpop”, Yuz Museum, Shanghai (2016); “Hack Space” (curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Amira Gad), K11 Art Foundation Pop-up Space, Hong Kong and chi K11 art museum, Shanghai (2016); “Globale: Global Control and Censorship”, ZKM | Centre for Art and Media, Karlsruhe (2015); “Thingworld International Triennial of New Media Art”, The National Art Museum of China, Beijing (2014); and Transmediale, Berlin (2010). His solo exhibition includes: “Remnants of an Electronic Past”, Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, Manchester (2016); OCAT Contemporary Art Terminal Xi’an, Xi’an (2016), among others. 

Solo Exhibitions

2017 User, Love, High-frequency Trading, Leo Xu Projects, Shanghai, China
2016
ORG.A, ReformerArt, Shanghai, China
aaajiao: Remnants of an Electronic Past, Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, Manchester, UK
aaajiao: Remnants of an Electronic Past, OCAT Contemporary Art Terminal Xi’an, Xi’an, China
2015
aaajiao: Untitled, Gallery Yang, Beijing, China Alias: aaajiao, Leo Xu Projects, Shanghai, China
2014
The Screen Generation@9m2 Museum, 9m2 Museum (Goethe Open Space), Shanghai, China
2013
The Screen Generation, chi K11 art space, Shanghai, China
The Screen Generation – Prequel, C-Space, Beijing, China 2011 Placebo, Other Gallery, Shanghai, China
2010
Cybernetics, V Arts Centre, Shanghai, China GROUP EXHIBITIONS

Group Exhibitions

2017
Heart of the Tin Man, M WOODS, Beijing, China
A NEW BALLARDIAN VISION, Metro Pictures, New York, USA “unREAL”, Haus der elektronischen Künste, Basel, Switzerland
Banana Banana 2, Diskurs, Berlin, Germany
GLOBAL CONTROL AND CENSORSHIP, Tallinna Kunstihoone, Estonia
Body Media II, Power Station of Art, Shanghai, China
Shanghai Project Chapter 2 Exhibition: Seeds of Time, Himalayas Museum, Shanghai, China All Happens after Sunset... , MoCA Pavilion, Shanghai, China
Create Spaces, Luxelakes·A4 Art Museum, Chengdu, China
Moments and More: Documents of Culture Pavilion [wén huà guǎn] Online Art Project, OCAT,Shanghai, China
Nominations, Three Rooms - International Touring Exhibition of Young Media Artists,Chronus Art Center, Shanghai, China

2016
Temporal Turn: Art and Speculation in Contemporary Asia, Spencer Museum of Art, Kansas, USA
Take Me (I’m Yours), curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Jens Ho mann and Kelly Taxter, Jewish Museum, New York, USA
Overpop, Yuz Museum, Shanghai, China Inner Universe, Gallery Yang, Beijing, China
Banana Banana, JNBY Foundation, Beijing, China
Void - Special Project by aaajiao & Miao Ying, Modern of Contemporary Art, Shanghai, China The Exhibition of Annual of Contemporary Art of China, Minsheng Art Museum, Beijing, China
Zero for Conduct, Tabula Rasa Gallery, Beijing, China
Hack Space, curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Amira Gad, K11 Art Foundation Pop-up Space, Hong Kong, USA
The Mud of Compound Experience, Mother ́s Tankstation & Leo Xu Projects, Hong Kong, USA
Heavy Artillery, White Rabbit Gallery, Sydney, Australia

2015
Globale: Global Control and Censorship, ZKM | Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe, Germany
Stereognosis Zone, Redtory Museum of Contemporary Art, Guangzhou, China
The Exhibition of Annual of Contemporary Art of China, Minsheng Art Museum, Beijing, China
Fusion: Chinese Museum and Contemporary Art Since 1930s, Wanlin Art Museum of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even, Pekin Gallery, Beijing, China
No Apple No Show - Part II, We Gallery, Shanghai, China
The Tell-Tale Heart, Chi Art Space, Hong Kong, China
Void - There’s nothing more left, but a little trace from human beings, Ginkgo Space, Beijing,
The 2nd “CAFAM Future” Exhibition: Observer-Creator · The Reality Representation of Chinese Young Art, Central Academy of Fine Arts Art Museum, Beijing, China Naissance, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China

2014
The Truth About Entropy: OCAT - Pierre Huber Art Prize Shortlist Exhibition, OCAT Contemporary
Art Terminal Shanghai, Shanghai, China
Ministry of Truth II - The Factitious and its Realm, Boers-Li Gallery, Beijing, China Cosmos - Limited and Limitless, Existence and Co-existence, 21st Century Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai, China
The 12th National Artworks Exhibition, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China
Metamorphosis of the Virtual 5+5, chi K11 art museum, Shanghai, China
Silence: the 1990s, Galerie Balice Hertling, Paris, France
ThingWorld, International Triennial of New Media Art Beijing, The National Art
Museum of China, Beijing, China
Pandamounium, Media Art from Shanghai, Momentum, Berlin, Germany
Transience, Intractable Objects, Taikang Space, Shanghai, China

2013
The West Bund Architecture and Contemporary Art Biennale, Shanghai, China Reading, Leo Xu Projects, Shanghai, China
Lost In The Labyrinth, Harvestworks, New York, USA
Truth, Beauty, Freedom and Money - Art After Social Media Era Shanghai, K11 art Space, Shanghai, China
Shanghai Surprise - A Group Show on Contemporary ArtiIn Shanghai, chi K11 art space, Shanghai, China

2012
Art Dialogue City - 2nd Edition N-Minutes Video Art Festival, Shanghai, China Solar Plexus, Space Station Sixty Five, London, UK
Whatever You Want - New Media Art Show, Beijing, China
Solar Plexus, V Arts Centre, Shanghai, China
Overlook, Magda Danysz Gallery, Shanghai, China

2011
One World Exposition - Chinese Art in the Age of the New Media, Videotage, Hong Kong, China Augmented Senses - A China-France Media Art Exhibition, The Oct Art & Design Gallery, Shenzhen, China
TransLife: Media Art China 2011 - International Triennial of New Media Art,
The National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China
Augmented Senses - A China-France Media Art Exhibition, The Oct Suhe Creek Gallery, Shanghai, China
Be With Me, Liste 16, Basel
+Follow, Museum of Contemporary Art, Shanghai, China
From Interaction to Micro-Sociology: The Dual Thread of Media Intervention into Art in The
Netherlands and China, Art ISSUE Projects, Beijing, China Words and Dreams,18 Gallery, Shanghai, China 

2010
Resonance,18 Gallery, Shanghai, China Creators Project, 798, Beijing, China
A World Which is Being Built!, V Arts Centre, Shanghai, China
Transmediale Berlin, Germany

2009
Sweet Future, 436 Jumen Road, Shanghai, China
Fantastic Illusions - Media Art Exhibition of Chinese and Belgian Artists
Belgium, Shanghai, China
New Media Archaeology, DDM, Shanghai, China
Art Beijing 2009 Thematic Exhibition - Art Unforbidden, Art Beijing, Beijing, China

2008
Shift Festival, Switzerland
eArts Festival, Shanghai, China
Virtual City (New Power – China Contemporary Art Biennale 2008)
Synthetic Times Public Education Project, Beijing, China
Mini Summit on New Media Arts Policy & Practice, Singapore
SEWN Segment Space, Shanghai, China

2007
Microwave International Media Art Festival, Hong Kong, China
Long March, Beijing, China
eArts Festival, Shanghai, China
SEWN Segment Space, Beijing, China
Lange Nacht, Beijing, China
Get it Louder, Beijing, China
Zhangjiang science, technology and culture festival, Shanghai, China
THE MOBILE LAB Borderline Festival, Beijing, China
CIGE multi media arts international lab forum, Beijing, China
Sustainable Imagination, Arario Gallery, Beijing, China
Deaf07, Netherlands

AWARDS AND PRIZES

2014
Jury Prize, Art Sanya Awards
Nominated for the first edition of OCAT - Pierre Huber Art Prize