“I want to create more artworks which can make people think.”

Born: Shanghai, 1974. Lives and works in Shanghai and Beijing.

Chen Hangfeng has logomania—or is it logophobia? Many of his works incorporate the brand stamps that have become so widely recognised they are often seen as symbols of global capitalism itself. These are generally Western in origin—Nike, Puma, Adidas, Gucci, Chanel, McDonald’s, KFC—though he also uses logos that have emerged from China’s economic boom. Chen Hangfeng embeds all these markers of chic and success in forms drawn from Chinese tradition. He started with papercuts that integrated logos seamlessly into bird and flower designs, then transferred the approach to wallpaper, folding screens, fabric and carpets. “Right now we are surrounded by brands,” he says. “They’re quite subtle sometimes—we don’t even realise they are there.” More recently, he has shifted his focus to consumer trash, filming a village that survives by making cheap Christmas decorations in Santa’s Little Helpers (2007) and making a giant chandelier from discarded drink cans, plastic bottles, VHS tapes, kitchenware and other junk in Luxurious Riffraff (2008).