1964 born in Zhoushan, P. R. China, presently lives in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; works in Amsterdam and Beijing.
1986 Graduated from Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (now China Academy of Art)
Ni Haifeng's practice stems from an interest in cultural systems of return, exchange, language and production. Born and raised in China but currently a resident of the Netherlands, Ni employs photography, video and installations to explore the simultaneous creation and obliteration of meaning while drawing attention to the cyclical movements of people, products and goods that are often reflective of patterns of colonialism and globalization. His aims to subvert the status quo and counteract preconceived notions of art are, in his own words, an effort towards reaching a "zero de- gree of meaning".
The concept of uselessness, seen in the desire to offset «the production of the useful»that is central to the operative conditions of consumerism and the «dominant economic order», plays a key role within Ni's pratice, lending his works a distinct political and social dimension.
Based in Amsterdam and Beijing, Ni's work has been exhibited in a number of galleries and museums including ZKM Centre for Art and Media, Karlsruhe; Fonds BKVB, Amsterdam; the San Francisco Institute of Art; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Centre for Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv; Gallery Lumen Travo, Amsterdam; Teemtover, Guangzhou; Museum Het Domein, Sittard; Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Amsterdam; espace culture Louis Vuitton, Paris; K18, Kassel; and National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul. He has also exhibited as part of Manifesta 7, Genk; the 2005 Guangzhou Triennal; and the 2004 Shangai Biennale.
After graduating from the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (now the China Academy of Art) in Hangzhou in 1986, Ni joined RED 70%, BLACK 25% and WHITE 5%- a group of artists working with conceptual art and nonsense text.
He lives between Amsterdam and Beijing.