Gu Wenda, born in Shanghai in 1955, graduated from the Shanghai School of Arts in 1976 and received his M.F.A. from the China Academy of Arts five years later. Gu has participated in numerous international solo and group exhibitions and biennials, in China, Singapore, Japan, Australia, France, Russia and the U.S., among others. Gu has emerged as one of the most celebrated avant-garde artists. He is known for uniting cultures and races worldwide in his artistic practice by using human hair to create aesthetic monumental installations.