CAO Yu

Born Liaoning Province, China
Lives and works in Beijing

Working across installation, sculpture, video, performance, photography and painting, CAO Yu’s practice has received international acclaim for its confrontational explorations of gender, the body, power and social norms. Through a distinctive cross-disciplinary practice, she employs wit, irony and provocation to challenge social conventions while reflecting on identity, interpersonal relationships and contemporary Chinese society.

CAO Yu has presented major solo exhibitions across China and Europe, with institutional presentations in Germany, France, the United States, Austria, Norway, Denmark, South Korea, and Australia. Her work has been featured in numerous art history and contemporary art publications and is held in collections including M+, Hong Kong, and the Central Academy of Fine Arts Art Museum, Beijing.

She has received awards both domestically and internationally. In 2018, she was named Best Young Artist of the Year at the Award of Art China, and in 2025 received the Extraordinary Artist of the Year award through SOUL Art Center. She is represented by Galerie Urs Meile.