Ding Shilun
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The market, in context.
Explore Ding Shilun’s auction history alongside the exhibitions, collections and gallery relationships behind the market.
Institutional research
Collections & exhibitions
Read holdings, exhibition history and their qualifications in context.
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Egon investment scores
Market position
Research updated
Auction record
Liquidity
- Score
- 3
Assessment
Limited but emerging liquidity. Only 3 documented auction appearances to date (2023-2025), but rapid institutional acquisition and strong gallery support suggest growing secondary market. First generation of collectors beginning to establish market
Collector base
Early stage but includes prominent Dallas collectors (Rachofsky, Nasher), institutional acquisitions, and international collectors accessing through Bernheim
Comparables
Positioning
Very early career but accelerated trajectory. Comparable to emerging figuration market segment but with unusual institutional validation for career stage
Peer artists
Hernan Bas (similar mythological figurative work, now $1M+ range), Salman Toor (RCA graduate, figurative narrative), Tschabalala Self (emerging figurative painter with institutional support)
Primary market
- Gallery
- Bernheim Gallery (London and Zurich)
- Work sizes
- Large-scale oil on linen paintings: 190-380cm width, 180-230cm height typical
Pricing note
Primary market pricing not publicly disclosed. Contact Bernheim Gallery for current availability and pricing. Based on auction results, expect primary market paintings in £20,000-£50,000+ range depending on scale and significance
- Production pace
- Limited - large works take 1-2 months each, suggesting annual output of 6-12 major paintings
- Representation status
- Primary representation
Auction history
Auction record
- Title
- The adoption of the maiden
- Sale date
- March 6, 2025
- Amount USD
- $147,389
- Estimate GBP
- £20,000 - £30,000
- Sold for GBP
- £114,300
- Auction house
- Phillips London
- Performance vs estimate
- Exceeded high estimate by 281%
Market trajectory
- Trend
- Rapidly ascending
Indicators
- Record auction price achieved March 2025
- Major museum solo exhibition at ICA Miami Dec 2024-Mar 2025
- Hauser & Wirth London exhibition Aug-Sep 2025 (championing artists beyond their roster)
- Works acquired by Nancy Nasher, Howard Rachofsky Collection, and multiple Tier 1 museums
- Gallery representation by Bernheim (Zurich/London) with solo exhibitions 2022-2024
- Total auction lots
- 3+ documented sales
Price range realized
- Period
- 2023-2025
- Low USD
- 56721
- High USD
- 147389
- Recent auction activity
- Strong performance at Phillips London March 2025 evening sale, with work significantly exceeding estimates alongside Basquiat and Picasso lots
Institutional presence
Research updated
Exhibitions
Group exhibitions selected
Interior Motives
- Type
- Major gallery group exhibition
- Dates
- August 22 - September 20, 2025
- Venue
- Hauser & Wirth
- Location
- London, UK
Significance
Exhibition with Koak and Cece Philips, part of H&W initiative championing emerging artists beyond gallery roster, produced in collaboration with Bernheim
A Room Hung With Thoughts: British Painting Now
- Type
- Survey exhibition
- Dates
- 2025
- Venue
- Green Family Art Foundation
- Curator
- Tom Morton
- Location
- Dallas, USA
Toward the Celestial: ICA Miami's Collection at 10 Years
- Type
- Collection exhibition
- Dates
- 2024
- Venue
- ICA Miami
- Location
- Miami, USA
Art Basel Miami
- Note
- Duo show with Eli Ping
- Type
- Art fair presentation
- Dates
- December 2022
- Venue
- Bernheim booth
- Location
- Miami, USA
Museum collections
Private collections
- Location
- Dallas, USA
- Collection
- The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Collection of Contemporary Art
- Significance
- One of America's most important private contemporary art collections
- Collector profile
- Nancy Nasher (Nasher Sculpture Center founder family), major institutional donor
- Location
- Dallas, USA
- Collection
- The Rachofsky Collection
- Significance
- Howard Rachofsky's collection of ~800 contemporary works, focuses on post-war identity and global minimalism
- Collector profile
- Leading contemporary art collector, major DMA benefactor
- Location
- London, UK
- Collection
- Zabludowicz Collection
- Significance
- Major international contemporary art collection, also hosted solo exhibition (Invites series) 2023
- Collector profile
- Anita and Poju Zabludowicz, prominent UK collectors
- Location
- London, UK
- Collection
- Asymmetry Art Foundation
- Significance
- Contemporary art foundation
- Collector profile
- Institutional collection
- Location
- Unknown
- Collection
- Yan Du Collection
- Significance
- Private collection mentioned in critical coverage
- Collector profile
- Unknown collector
Institutional validation notes
Exceptional institutional support for career stage: solo exhibitions at ICA Miami and Guangdong Museum, acquisitions by Dallas Museum of Art, High Museum, Albertina Museum. Collected by Nancy Nasher and Howard Rachofsky. Zabludowicz Collection solo show. This level of Tier 1 museum validation is highly unusual for 27-year-old artist only 3 years post-graduate degree
Career & Biography
Research updated
Career
- Age
- 27
Working method
Works 11am-11pm, seven days a week. Large canvases take 1-2 months to complete. Applies numerous thin layers of diluted oil paint to mimic traditional Chinese gongbi watercolor technique. Often begins by painting an eye, building composition intuitively 'piece by piece like a puzzle game'
Identity
- Current locations
- Lives and works between London and Guangzhou
- Family background
- Father is a traditional landscape painter, mother ran local art school in Guangzhou
Artistic context
Key influences
Francisco Goya (artistic hero), Gustav Klimt, Kai Althoff, Zhang Daqian, Qi Baishi, Chinese legends 'In Search of the Supernatural' (220-589 AD), Nuo opera, Japanese manga, Harry Potter, Ratatouille, fashion designers Alexander McQueen and John Galliano
Artistic Profile
Research updated
Style
- Style
- Figurative narrative painting with mythological and surrealist elements
Influences
Art historical
- Francisco Goya (especially Los Caprichos prints) - stated artistic hero
- Gustav Klimt - pictorial references
- Kai Althoff - pictorial references
- Zhang Daqian - ethereal landscape influence
- Qi Baishi - traditional Chinese painting elements
- Traditional Chinese gongbi painting technique
Literary cultural
- 'In Search of the Supernatural' (220-589 AD Chinese legends)
- Nuo opera and Nuoism folk religion
- Chinese folklore and mythology
- Japanese manga and contemporary comics
- Harry Potter (Voldemort's wand references)
- Ratatouille (fairy imagery)
- Alexander McQueen and John Galliano (fashion camp aesthetics)
Movements and periods
Signature characteristics
- Large-scale detailed pictorial works (190-380cm width typical)
- Thin layers of diluted oil paint mimicking traditional Chinese gongbi watercolor technique
- Figures with spiky, twisted coiffures
- Supernatural beings, monsters, folkloric creatures mixed with contemporary references
- Intricate detail and multifarious textures
- Combination of co-existing perspectives questioning real vs surreal
- Self-portraits/avatars as 'projections and embodiments of inner self'
- Domestic spaces transformed into surreal mythological landscapes
Techniques and mediums
Primarily oil on linen, also watercolor and ink on paper Applies numerous thin layers of diluted oil paint to achieve translucent, watercolor-like effect reminiscent of traditional Chinese painting. Works intuitively, often beginning with an eye and building composition 'piece by piece.' Large works take 1-2 months. Uses physical models and props in studio (Victorian furniture, manga books, shadow puppets, fashion books)
Critical Reception
Research updated
Critical reception
- Status
- Early stage - primarily gallery and museum texts rather than academic scholarship
- Documentation
- Contemporary Art Library includes documentation of 4 projects from 2022 onward
- Catalogue texts
- ICA Miami exhibition catalogue (2024), Bernheim exhibition catalogues
Overall assessment
Highly positive reception from contemporary art press. Critics note technical sophistication, unique cross-cultural synthesis, and distinctive visual mythology
Key critical themes
- Synthesis of Chinese folklore and Western pop culture
- Technical mastery adapting traditional gongbi technique to oil painting
- Personal mythology and psychological depth
- Absurdity of contemporary life
- Cross-cultural identity and navigation between London and Guangzhou
- Comparison to Goya's reflection of historical reality
Critical positioning
Positioned as emerging voice in contemporary figuration, bringing unique Chinese-British perspective. Critics note unusual maturity and sophistication for age/career stage
Publications and media
Major publications
Artist Ding Shilun Makes His Own Mythology
- Date
- February 5, 2024
- Type
- Feature interview
- Author
- Alex Needham
- Excerpt
- Profile of artist in studio covering working methods, influences, and mythological approach
- Publication
- W Magazine
Ding Shilun Paints Life's Absurdities at Bernheim Gallery
- Date
- February 8, 2024
- Type
- Exhibition review
- Author
- Simon Fisher
- Excerpt
- Review of Mirage exhibition inaugurating Bernheim London space
- Publication
- Ocula
- Date
- February 12, 2024
- Note
- Coverage of Mirage exhibition
- Type
- Review
- Author
- Daniel Penny
- Publication
- Observer
Summer Exhibition in London: Koak, Cece Philips and Ding Shilun at Hauser & Wirth London
- Date
- July 2025
- Type
- Exhibition preview
- Publication
- FAD Magazine
- Date
- 2025
- Note
- Coverage of Hauser & Wirth exhibition
- Publication
- ArtDaily
- Date
- 2024-2025
- Note
- Featured in articles
- Publication
- WHITEWALL
Artists explore the surreal nature of the home at Hauser & Wirth
- Date
- August 22, 2025
- Type
- Exhibition review
- Author
- Emily Steer
- Publication
- Wallpaper*
Interior Motives: Koak, Ding Shilun and Cece Philips @ Hauser & Wirth
- Date
- 2025
- Type
- Exhibition coverage
- Publication
- Juxtapoz Magazine
Gallery & Representation
Research updated
Fair presence
Bernheim
- Fair
- Art Basel Miami Beach
- Year
- 2022
- Presentation
- Duo show with Eli Ping
Representation
Gallery ecosystem
Bernheim maintains strong relationships with major institutions (ICA Miami, Zabludowicz Collection) and collaborates with mega-galleries (Hauser & Wirth). Artist positioned within network of emerging figuration market
Upcoming exhibitions
Under the Talking Tree
- Note
- With Cole Lu, Jia Sung, Justin Han, Kara Chin, and others
- Type
- Group exhibition
- Dates
- March 1 - August 3, 2025
- Venue
- Kunsthal n
Interior Motives
- Type
- Group exhibition
- Dates
- August 22 - September 20, 2025
- Venue
- Hauser & Wirth London
- Significance
- Major validation - inclusion in Hauser & Wirth exhibition championing emerging artists
Secondary market presence
- Status
- Beginning to appear at evening sales at major auction houses (Phillips March 2025)
Auction houses
- Phillips London
- Gallery support
- Strong primary market support from Bernheim, collaboration with Hauser & Wirth for 2025 exhibition suggests broader gallery ecosystem engagement
Sources & research notes
Egon’s artist research combines historical auction records, recent sales, institutional history, critical reception and gallery information. Researched auction records and auction highlights are identified separately.
Read prices with their work, sale date, currency and stated basis. Egon’s market assessments are distinct from reported auction results.
Reference: Egon, “Ding Shilun: Market Intelligence & Investment Profile.”
Research updates by section
These dates show when Egon’s research sections were updated. Source retrieval dates, where supplied above, refer to individual evidence notes.
Ranking updated . Research sections follow their own update dates.
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