province) is a contemporary Chinese painter. Cao Dan graduated from Hubei Institute of Fine Arts

Hubei Institute of Fine Arts

Hubei Institute of Fine Arts is an art college in the People's Republic of China . It is regarded as one of the best and most selective academies of fine arts in China. Its history dates back to 1920, making it the first private art school in modern China...

, Wuhan

Wuhan

Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...

, China in 1982, and is currently teaching as a professor there.

Currently, Cao Dan is working on a series called Butterfly Effect. This title refers to the short story A Sound of Thunder (1952) by Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury

Ray Douglas Bradbury is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man , Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th...

, in which a small change, such as butterfly flapping its wings, causes a series of major changes. Cao Dan projects this idea on contemporary changes in world economics

World economy

The world economy, or global economy, generally refers to the economy, which is based on economies of all of the world's countries, national economies. Also global economy can be seen as the economy of global society and national economies – as economies of local societies, making the global one....

 and the sudden resistance to the label made in China

Made in China

Made in China or Made in PRC is a country of origin label affixed to products manufactured in the mainland China, the People's Republic of China , excluding Hong Kong and Macau where all products made in those regions are labeled as "Made in Hong Kong" and "Made in Macau", respectively...

and all its possible connotations. Additionally, in traditional Chinese culture the butterfly is seen as an analogy of female consciousness

Consciousness

Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...

. This series represents women penetrating in men's product area. These works are executed in an instantly recognisable style, using bright primary colors.

Selected Solo Exhibitions

• 2008
  • “Butterfly File”, Hubei Institute of Fine Arts
    Hubei Institute of Fine Arts
    Hubei Institute of Fine Arts is an art college in the People's Republic of China . It is regarded as one of the best and most selective academies of fine arts in China. Its history dates back to 1920, making it the first private art school in modern China...
    
    , Wuhan
    Wuhan
    Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
    
    , China
  • “Hubei!”, Edward Pranger Oriental Art Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Selected Group Exhibitions

• 2008
  • “Wuhan 2008 Contemporary Art Invitational Exhibition”, Hubei Institute of Fine Arts, Wuhan, China
• 2007
  • “Forms of Concepts: The Reform of Concepts of Chinese Contemporary Art 1987-2007－The New Generation and Bad Art”, 2007 Wuhan 2nd Documentary Exhibition of Fine Arts, Wuhan, China
  • “The 8th China Art Festival. Fifty Anniversaries of Art Exhibition of Hubei Artists Association”, Wuhan,China
  • The 3rd Academic Art Exhibition, Hubei Institute of Fine Arts, Wuhan, China
• 1995
  • “Twenty Anniversaries”, International Art Exhibition, Nanjing, China
• 1994
  • The 8th Hubei Art Exhibition, Wuhan, China
• 1993
  • ‘93 Chinese Oil Painting Biennale Exhibition, China Art Gallery, Beijing, China
• 1991
  • Oil Painting Exhibition, Wuhan, China
• 1989
  • “China/Avant-garde Art Exhibition”, National Art Museum of China
    National Art Museum of China
    The National Art Museum of China, or NAMOC is located at 1 Wusi Ave, Dongcheng District of Beijing, People's Republic of China. It is one of the largest art museums in China. The construction of the museum started in 1958, and concluded in 1962. It has a total land area of 30,000 square meters...
    
    , Beijing
  • Contemporary Art Exhibition of Five Chinese Artists in USA
• 1988
  • Hubei Oil Painting Exhibition, Wuhan, China
• 1987
  • Hubei Youth Art Festival Exhibition, Beijing, China
• 1986
  • “Tribe. Tribe First Round Exhibition”, Wuhan, China
• 1985
  • The 6th China National Art Exhibition, Beijing, China