AMSTERDAM.- Galerie Ron Mandos is presenting A Season Particular, a solo exhibition by Shen Wei. The show brings together intimate photographic works from his series A Season Particular, alongside pieces from his ongoing Self-Portrait series, which he has been developing for over a decade.

In A Season Particular, Shen Wei invites us into a world where intimacy and spontaneity collide, yielding a series of photographic encounters that are as raw as they are tender. The artist’s work is a delicate and visceral exploration of the human body, captured in soft, explicit close-ups that grab your attention instantly. These images, deliberately printed with a density that mirrors the subjects’ flesh, draw the viewer into a realm of evocative lust and fluidity.

Wei’s approach is not merely about documentation but about immersion. The viewer is invited to participate rather than observe from a distance, breaking away from the traditional voyeuristic lens often associated with nudity in art. Here, the act of looking becomes an act of joining, of stepping into and participating in the space historically reserved for the artist and subject. The images ooze with a gentle sexuality, one that is unplanned and organic. This pure expression of sexuality transcends traditional binaries of heterosexual or homosexual orientation, and opens up to diverse expressions of desire that resist categorization.

Interwoven with these human forms are Wei’s explorations of botanical subjects, creating a lyrical dialogue between different organic entities. According to Shen Wei, “The unique beauty and interplay between the human body and nature aim to elicit a sense of awe, wonder, and appreciation for the world around us, as well as a way to explore more profound spiritual and philosophical questions about the nature of existence and the purpose of life.” In this series of works, the focus lies on exploring the spiritual and abstract parallels between our bodies and nature, highlighting the inherent harmony, fragility, and interconnectedness shared by both.

The photographs are also a reflection of Wei’s Chinese identity, that is subtly woven into the fabric of this work. They challenge and reinterpret notions of desire, intimacy, and self-discovery, all against the backdrop of a cultural upbringing that prized restraint and conservatism. In A Season Particular, Shen Wei’s lens becomes a conduit for a new kind of expression, one that is as much about the relationships formed in the moment as it is about the images themselves.

In his ongoing Self-Portrait series, Shen Wei opens up about his journey through self-reflection and the complex dance between freedom and limitations. It is an intimate exploration of what it means to seek out emotional release and find strength in vulnerability. These photographs aren’t just about the artist’s body. They are a way for him to confront memories, fantasies, anxieties, and desires. They reflect a search for openness, and at the same time, they offer moments of acceptance. The series spans over a decade, stretching back to 2009, with Shen Wei immersing himself in water, plants, and spaces that feel detached from the ordinary world.

Shen Wei is a Chinese-American artist based in New York City. He is known for his intimate self-portraiture and contemplative images of people and nature, highlighting the understated beauty of his surroundings. He also works in painting, sculpture, and video.

His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Museum of the City of New York, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Power Station of Art in Shanghai, China, the Hasselblad Foundation in Göteborg, Sweden, the North Carolina Museum of Art, and the Morgan Library & Museum in New York. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Yorker, Aperture, ARTnews, Paris Review, ArtReview, Financial Times, and The Burlington Magazine.

Shen Wei’s work is included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Photography, the Library of Congress, the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Morgan Library & Museum, the CAFA Art Museum, and the Ringling Museum of Art, among others.

He holds an MFA from the School of Visual Arts, New York, and a BFA from Minneapolis College of Art and Design.