Robert Zhao Renhui (b. 1983) is a Singaporean artist who graduated with a BA degree in photography from the Camberwell College of Arts at the University of the Arts London in 2005 and obtained his Masters degree from the London College of Communication at the University of the Arts London in 2011. His medium of preference is photography, however, he often adopts a multi-disciplinary approach by presenting images together with documents and objects. In his art, Robert Zhao Renhui addresses environment, human’s relationship with nature, and associated issues of morality and ethics, exploring how our attitudes and opinions shape assumptions about the natural world.
Solo exhibitions include Robert Zhao Renhui: The Lines We Draw, ShanghART Singapore, Singapore (2020); New Forest, Mind Set Art Center, Taipei (2019); The Institute of Critical Zoologists Final Report of the Christmas Island Expert Working Group, NTU Centre for Contemporary Art, Singapore (2018); Robert Zhao Renhui: Christmas Island, Naturally, ShanghART M50, Shanghai (2017); The Nature Museum, Singapore International Festival of Art, 72-13, Singapore (2017); Singapore, Very Old Tree, National Museum of Singapore, Singapore (2017); The Nature Collector-Robert Zhao Renhui, ShanghART Main Space, Shanghai (2015); A Guide to the Flora and Fauna of the World, Centre of Contemporary Photography, Melbourne, Australia (2015); Fake or Reality, Galarie Anzenberger, Vienna, Austria (2014); Flies Prefer Yellow, Kadist Art Foundation, San Francisco, U.S.A (2014); The Institute of Critical Zoologists, Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, UK (2012); The Land Archive, Institute of Contemporary Arts, Singapore (2011); The Whiteness of a Whale, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Fukuoka, Japan (2010).
Group exhibitions include Tonight The Air Is Warm, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, UK (2021); From the Mundane World, Launch Exhibition of He Art Museum, He Art Museum, Guangdong (2020); In The Forest, Even The Air Breathes, GAMeC Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Bergamo, Italy (2020); Singapore Biennale 2019, Every Step in the Right Direction, Gillman Barracks, Singapore (2019); Observe, Experiment, Archive, Sunderland Museum and Winter Garden, London, UK (2019); The 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT9), Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), Brisbane, Australia (2018); Holzwege, ShanghART, Shanghai (2016); Pause, PhotoBangkok, Bangkok Art & Culture Centre, Bangkok, Thailand (2015). His work is held in important public and private collections which include Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, Paris, France; Statoil Art Collection, Stavanger, Norway; National Museum of Singapore, Singapore; Kadist Art Foundation, San Francisco, U.S.A; Singapore Art Museum, Singapore.
Highlights and Collections
Robert Zhao Renhui was awarded several reputable prizes such as Deutsche Bank Award In Photography, University of the Arts London, London, UK in 2011, Young Artist Award, Singapore in 2010 as well as was a finalist in the 12th Benesse Prize, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore in 2019.