Geng Jianyi (b.1962 Henan) was among the early stars of the contemporary art movement in China. In the 1980s, as a member of the so-called Pool Society in Hangzhou, Geng worked alongside artists like Zhang Peili and Wang Qiang producing sarcastic, cynical and inventive and politically loaded examinations of life. The group's "Gray Humor" piece were popular in the 1980s and Geng's laughing faces became a symbol of the era and perhaps even a precursor of the images that Yue Minjun later adopted for his art works. In the 1990s, Geng was often overlooked or forgotten, but he is once again creating imaginative works in photography, oil and installations, examining the details of life and exploring questions of identity. He now lives and works in Hangzhou and teaches at the China Academy of Fine Arts.

from:
http://new.artzinechina.com/display_vol_aid441_en.html#Exhibition