Feng Mengbo was born in Beijing, China, in 1966. He graduated from Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing in 1991. As one of the earliest artists that started to use digital technology, Feng started to use video games as a medium for his artworks in the 1990s, and later he entered the field of new media art and interactive installation.
Among the leading of Chinese new media artists, Feng is expert in applying new media and technology to explore and research on Chinese cultural symbols and history. In his early career, Feng’s a suite of painting work Game Over: Long March (1993). The works depict a fictional Red Army character’s adventures in a series of “game snapshots” reminiscent of Nintendo’s Super Mario. The title “Super Mario” refers to the famed military retreat that precipitated Mao’s rise to power. 1993 was also the first year that he participated in the Venice Biennale; 10 years later, he exhibited again at Venice Biennale’s first official Chinese Pavilion. Feng was also the first Chinese artist invited to exhibit at Documenta in 1997, and was invited again in 2002. Feng Mengbo took his interest in the Long March to a logical extreme, creating the interactive ‘game’ Long March: Restart in 2008 featuring the same main character. The piece was shown at MoMA PS1 in 2010 - 2011.
In recent years, he has begun to feel increasingly drawn towards painting, photography, and installations. He has collaborated with Na Wu, New Pants, and other musicians to create electronic music performances. His works are in the collections of MoMA, Guggenheim, LACMA, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Hong Kong M+, and CAFA.
Feng Mengbo currently lives and works in Beijing, China.