Shanye Huang was born and raised in a Zhuang Ethnic family in Guangxi, Southwest China, a region known for its vibrant folk arts. His art connects his southern Chinese folkloric heritage with the disciplined skills of Chinese academic painting and western contemporary concepts. Huang graduated from both Guangxi Arts Institute and the Central Academy of Fine Arts in China. In 1985, at the age of twenty-six, he was inducted into the most prestigious art organization in China, the China Artists Association. From 1985-1993, Huang taught painting and drawing as an assistant professor/lecturer in the Guangxi Arts Institute.
In 1993, after completing his solo exhibition in England, Shanye Huang came to the United States at the invitation of the Center for International Art & Culture in New York, and the Exhibition Committee of California State University in Northridge, to hold a solo exhibition. However, due to the Northridge earthquake, the show was postponed until 1998. He became a US citizen after being awarded a permanent US visa under the “outstanding artist” status in1995. He currently lives and works in the Washington DC Metropolitan area.
His collaborations with other artists have had significant national and international impact. For example, his work titled, Tapestry of Dreams, inspired American musician Silas Huff to create a 30-minute dance symphony. The work, 72” x 216” in size, filled with musical rhythms, metaphors, and symbols, tells stories of his village people, and of their resilient spirit in pursuit of freedom and better life. In 2009, using the images of the artwork as a backdrop, the Ballet Repertory of New York City brought the charming story to life at the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center. In October 2011, the Troupe was invited to China, where they performed an adapted section of the Ballet for the 13th Nanning International Folk Song Arts Festival along with the 8th China-ASEAN Expo.
In May 2011, Shanye Huang’s work Blessing was selected to be part of the exhibition entitled On Being Human, from nearly a thousand entries representing over 30 distinct cultures from 50 different countries across several centuries and it was on view with works by renowned artists including Warhol, Dali, Rockwell, and Rembrandt. In Sept. 2012, his work, The Trees and Vines Intertwine #5, won the Award of Excellence in an International Exhibition of Overseas Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy, held at the National Museum of China in Beijing, China.
Huang’s art has earned him many national and international awards including his being the recipient of the MD Creativity Grants, the NY Fund for Contemporary Art Grant, and the United State Artists Foundation, and it has been collected by art museums, galleries as well as private collectors. His work has been widely shown at venues including the International Museum of Art in Texas, Attleboro Arts Museum in Massachusetts, Tampa Museum of Art in Florida, Bongiani Art Museum in Salerno, Italy, Quinta Da Cruz Museum in Viseu, Portugal, Brazilian Museum of Sculpture in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the National Fine Art Museum of China in Beijing, China, Hillyer Art Space at Washington DC, Brentwood Art Exchange in Maryland, and the New York Art Collection in New York.