Fay, Ming

born 1943 Shanghai China

died 2025 New York USA

Born in 1943 to a family of artists in Shanghai, Ming Fay was a New York-based sculptor, installation artist, and professor. His work focuses on the concept of the garden as a symbol of utopia and the relationship between people and nature. Today he is well known for his large fruit sculptures and mixed media installations. His whimsical yet culturally poignant sculptures are made out of bronze or papier-mâché and often presented in a highly sophisticated way.

After immigrating to Hong Kong in 1952, he would later attend Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio to study design in 1961. After graduating in 1965, he worked in a design studio before discovering his true passion, sculpture. He obtained a BFA degree in sculpture from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1967 and an MFA from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1970. Since then he has resided in New York and devoted himself to his sculptural work. Throughout his career, Fay has been an active teacher and has taught at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Polytechnic, Columbus College of Art and Design, Pratt Institute, the William Paterson College, and the University of Pittsburgh. In 2007 he was the recipient of the NYFA fellowship in Sculpture. Fay was a member of the Board of Directors of the Alternative Museum, The Chinese American Arts Council, The Chinese Information and Culture Center, and the Overseas Chinese Renaissance Society.

Fay has exhibited internationally and his works have been displayed at the Whitney Museum of American Art, National Academy Museum, New York; Philadelphia Museum of Art; Łódź Biennale, Poland; Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong. He has completed numerous public art commissions including a suspended glass and steel sculpture for a residential lobby in Philadelphia, a large-scale tree sculpture in Puerto Rico, sculptural benches for New York City Staten Island Ferry Terminal.

Alisan Fine Arts began representing Fay in 1985, and since then has held 6 solo exhibitions for the artist. He was included in New Ink Art: Innovation and Beyond held at Hong Kong Museum of Art in 2008 and curated by Alice King.

His works are in the collections of many prominent museums including the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, New Jersey; He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen; Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei; Hong Kong Museum of Art, M+ Hong Kong.

In February 2025, Fay passed away. His significant solo exhibitions were held in the same year at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and Alisan Fine Arts in New York, USA. A talk on Asian diasporic artists, including Ming Fay, titled Art on the Move: NYC's Iconic Subway Murals, co-organized by the China Institute and the Asian Art Archive in America, took place in November of the same year in New York. Currently, his works are on display at the China Institute Gallery's Metamorphosis: Chinese Imagination and Transformation in New York (until January 11, 2026), and at the 14th Taipei Biennial: Whispers on the Horizon at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum in Taiwan (until March 29, 2026).

BIOGRAPHY

1943 Born in Shanghai, China
1952 Moved with his family to Hong Kong where he completed his secondary education
1965 Diploma, Columbus College of Art & Design, Columbus, Ohio, USA
1967 BFA, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Taught in University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
1968-1969 Taught in Fine Arts Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
1970 MFA, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
Lecturer, Columbus College of Art & Design, Columbus, Ohio, USA
1971-1974 Lecturer, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
1975 Lecturer, Hong Kong Polytechnic, Hong Kong
1978-1980 Lecturer, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York, USA
1981-2016 Professor in sculpture, William Paterson University, Wayne, New Jersey, USA
1982 Co-founded the Epoxy Art Group in New York, USA
1990 Workplace Program Resident, Dieu Donné, Brooklyn, New York, USA
1992 Art Partner Program, Lila-Wallace - Reader's Digest Fund, New York, USA
1994 Residency Program, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Grant, Brooklyn Centre for
Innovative Editions, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
Residency Program, Urban Glass: New York Centre for Contemporary Glass, Brooklyn, New York, USA
1995 Arts/Industry Residency Program, John Michael Kohler Arts Centre, Kohler, Wisconsin, USA
2000-2016 Visiting Professor & Artist-in-residence, Rinehart School of Sculpture, MFA Program, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
2016 Included in the gallery monograph Alisan Fine Arts 35 Years, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong
2022 Published artist monograph, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong
2025 Passed away in February, New York, USA

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2025

Ming Fay: Botanical Curiosities, Alisan Fine Arts, New York, USA
Ming Fay: Edge of the Garden, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Kabinett Sector: Ming Fay Solo Exhibition, Art Basel Hong Kong, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong

2023

New Land Plaza: You Can’t Beat a New York Original, Storefront for Art and Architecture, New York, USA

2022-2023

Ming Fay: Journey into Nature, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong

2021

Excavation: The minds writes it on the body, Dieu Donné, New York, USA

2019

Ming Fay: Beyond Nature, Sapar Contemporary, New York, USA

2014

Figures, Lesley Heller Workspace, New York, USA

2012

Canutopia, Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, New Jersey, USA

2010

Out of Jungle: Two decades of Studio Doodads 1990 to 2010, Chinese American Arts Council, New York, USA
Full Circle, Butters Gallery, Portland, Oregon, USA

2007

Floating Reeds: An Installation by Ming Fay, Alisan Fine Arts, Shanghai MOCA, Shanghai, China

2006

Silent Exile, 2x13 Gallery New York, USA
Monkey Pots New Species from Ming Fays Lab, Butters Gallery, Portland, Oregon, USA

2005

Ramapo Garden of Desire, Kresge Gallery, Ramapo College, Mahwah, New Jersey, USA

2004

Ming Fay – From Concept to Reality, Cuchifritos Gallery, New York, USA
Money Tree & Monkey Pots, Montalvo Gallery, Saratoga, California, USA

2003

Floating Botanica, Copia Museum, Napa, California, USA

2002

Hidden Seed Garden: An Installation by Ming Fay, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong

2000

Qian and Bao, Butters Gallery, Portland, Oregon, USA
Abundant Invention, Wave Hill Glyndor Gallery, Bronx, New York, USA

1998

Garden of Qian, Whitney Museum at Phillip Morris, New York, USA

1997

Lings, Bulova Corporate Center, Queens Museum of Art, Queens, New York, USA
Earthly Delights, Stone Quarry Hill Art Park, Cazenovia, New York, USA

1996

Veins of the Spiral, Kim Foster Gallery, New York, USA
Feast for the Eyes, Kohler Art Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA
Midnight Porridge, Broadway Windows, New York University, New York, USA
Monkey Pots New Species from Ming Fays Lab, Butters Gallery, Portland, Oregon, USA

1994

Matter into Spirit, Kim Foster Gallery, New York, USA
Extended Curves, Butters Gallery, Portland, Oregon, USA
From the Garden, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong

1993

On the Edge, Keen Gallery, New York, USA
Existential Attainment, Lungmen Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan

1991

Images from Beyond, Butters Gallery, Portland, Oregon, USA
Nature Reborn: From Archaeology to Science Fiction, Exit Art, New York, USA

1990

Bell Sprouts (Outdoor Installation), Petrosino Park, New York, USA
Objects from Nature, Chinese American Arts Council, New York, USA

1989

Journey into Nature, Squibb Gallery, Princeton, New Jersey, USA

1988

Ming Fay, Gallery Triform, Taipei, Taiwan
Elixirs, Alternative Museum, New York, USA

1986

Ming Fay: Recent Works, Hong Kong Institute for Promotion of Chinese Culture, Hong Kong

1985

Drawings for Sculptures: Ming Fay, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong
Ming Fay, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri, USA

1984

Ming Fay, Broadway Windows, New York University, New York, USA

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2025-2026

14th Taipei Biennial: Whispers on the Horizon, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan (until 29 Mar 2026)
Metamorphosis: Chinese Imagination and Transformation, China Institute Gallery, New York, USA (until 11 Jan 2026)

2025

Art Basel Miami Beach, Alisan Fine Arts, Miami Beach Convention Centre, Miami Beach, USA
Where We Meet: Imagining Gardens and Future, Pao Arts Centre, Boston, USA
Annual Group Exhibition, The Campus, New York, USA

2024

Legacies: Asian American Art Movements in New York City (1969-2001), 80WSE Gallery, New York, USA

2023

Inaugural Art SG, Alisan Fine Arts, Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Singapore
Storefront for Art and Architecture Fundraising Event, Kurimanzutto Chelsea, New York, USA

2022-2023

Oneness: Nature and Connectivity in Chinese Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, USA

2022

Large-scale Installation, Art Basel Hong Kong, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong

2021

Art Basel Hong Kong, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong
NOT A Fashion Store!, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong

2020

Frieze New York 2020 Online Edition, New York, USA

2020

Exodus II: Unhinging the Great Wall, Chinese Art Revealed, East Village NY 1980s, Whitebox Harlem, New York, USA

2019

Art Basel Hong Kong, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong

2018

Art Across Archive: Postcards from Chinatown, Think!Chinatown Community Art Space, New York, USA

2010

ART HK 10, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong
New Ink Art: Painting & Installation, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong

2008

Hong Kong Art: Open Dialogue, Exhibition Series II- New Ink Art: Innovation and Beyond & symposium, curated by Mrs. Alice King, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong

Back to the Garden, Daily Life to Spiritual Vision, Crossing Art Gallery, New York, USA

2007

Shenzhen Ink Biennial, He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen, China
Material Terrain, Cheekwood Museum of Art, Nashville Tennessee

2006

Transplant Transculture, Wave Hill, Bronx, New York, USA
Transplanted, Kean University, Union, New Jersey, USA
New Chinese Occidentalism, Ethan Cohen Gallery, New York, USA

2005

Neutral, Lab Gallery, New York, USA
Material Terrain, Laumeier Sculpture Park, St Louis, MO, USA

2004

Lodz Biennial, International Artist Museum, Lodz, Poland
The 179th Annual, National Academy Museum, New York, USA
Crosscurrents in the Mainstream, Zimmerli Museum, New Jersey, USA
Metamorphosis, Kohler Art Center, Sheboygan, WI, USA

2003

Food Matters, Katonah Museum of Art, New York, USA
Serene Beauty, Jamaica Art Center, Jamaica, New York, USA

2002

To Scale, The Rotunda Gallery, Brooklyn, New York, USA

2001

All Terrain, Contemporary Art Center of Virginia, Virginia Beach, VA, USA
Harvest 2001, Aljira Center for Contemporary Art, Newark, New Jersey, USA

2000

Environmentally Concerned 2, Bronx River Art Center and Gallery, Bronx, New York, USA
Environmentally Concerned, Nathan Cummings Foundation, New York, USA
Art Nature/Nurture, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI, USA
The End, Exit Art, New York, USA
Persistence: Botanica, Butters Gallery, Portland Oregon, USA

1999

Art Underfoot: Manhole Covers in New York, The Urban Center, New York, USA
Six Degrees of Seduction, Central Fine Arts, New York, USA
As Far As the Eye Can See, Atlanta College of Art, Atlanta, GA, USA

1998

Metaphors: Inspirations and Folklores, Henry Street Settlement, New York, USA
Paper: the State of Connection, Bergstrom-Mahler Museum, Neenah, Wisconsin, USA
Sculpture, Leedy Voulkos Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri, USA

1997

1997 Biennial Exhibition of Public Art, Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase, New York, USA
Ancient Emblems, Contemporary Signifiers, Jersey City Museum, Jersey City, New Jersey, USA
Gardens of Urban Delight: The Lower East Side, Henry Street Settlement, New York, USA

1996

Posing Reality: Contemporary Still Life, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
Black and White: Sculptors' Drawings, Marymount Manhattan College, New York, USA
Mutation of Ink and Paper, Taipei Gallery, New York, USA

1995

Bodies/Transformations: Small Bronzes, TZ Art & Co., New York, USA
Elusive Source, Corcoran Gallery of Art, WashingtonDC, USA
Undetermined Origins, Maryland Art Place, Baltimore, MD, USA
Workspace Program: 5 Years, Gallery at Dieu Donne Papermill, New York, USA

1994

Visionary Proposals for Lower East Side, Henry Street Settlement, New York, USA
Art for Learning, Municipal Art Society, New York, USA
Fabricate Nature, Boise Art Museum, Boise, Idaho, USA
Orientations, David Adamson Gallery, WashingtonDC, USA
The Garden of Sculptural Delights, Exit Art, New York, USA

1993

Plant Body: Spiritual Botany, Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, USA
Spring/Summer Exhibition, Grounds For Sculpture, Hamilton, New Jersey, USA
Diverse Disclosures, Kenkeleba Gallery, New York, USA
Artists of Conscience, Alternative Museum, New York, USA

1992

Still Life Today, Scott Alan Gallery, New York, USA
Art Asia Hong Kong, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong
The Hybrid State, Exit Art, New York, USA

1991

Bronze, Frumkin/Adams Gallery, New York, USA
Group Exhibition, Nancy Drysdale Gallery, Washington DC, USA

1990

Selections, Artist Space, New York, USA
The Decade Show: Epoxy Art Group, The New Museum, New York, USA

1989

Made in New York, Williams Center for the Arts, Lafayette College, Easton, PA, USA
Power Struggle, Spaces Gallery,Cleveland, OH, USA

1987

New York: New Venue, Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

1980

Chicago International Art Exposition, Allan Frumkin Gallery, Chicago, USA

SELECTED ART AWARDS

2008 Sculpture Award, National Academy of Art, New York, USA
2007 Fellowship in Sculpture, New York Foundation for the Arts, New York, USA
2004 National Endowment for the Arts Grant, Commission Proposal Support, USA

SELECTED PUBLIC ART COMMISSIONS

2009 NYCEDC, Lippmann Plaza, Flushing, Queens, New York, USA
2006 Redevelopment Authority of Philadelphia, Tivoli Townhouse, Pennsylvania, USA
2005 Department of Transportation and Public Works, Yauco, Puerto Rico, USA
Whitehall Ferry Terminal, New York, USA
2004 MTA, Delancey/Essex Streets Station, New York, USA
General Services Administration, US Courthouse, Seattle, Washington, USA
2003 Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Oregon, USA
1995 Percent for Art, Criminal Justice Centre, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Percent for Art, P.S. 7, Elmhurst, New York, USA
1990 Petrosino Square, New York, USA

SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

New York University Library Special Collections, New York, USA
New Museum, New York, USA
Portland Museum of Art, Maine, USA
Dieu Donné, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Asian American Arts Centre, New York, USA
Phipps House, Daly Avenue Apartments, Bronx, New York, USA
PS7, Elmhurst, Queens, New York, USA
ExxonMobil Oil Corporation, New York, USA
Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Columbus College of Art & Design, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Huntington National Bank, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, Sedalia, MO, USA
Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA
Del Mar College, Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA
Sidney Lewis Foundation, Richmond, Virginia, USA
Prudential Insurance Company, Los Angeles, California, USA
Ten Main Center, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Philadelphia Criminal Justice Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Pittsburgh National Bank, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
R.J. Reynolds, Salem, North Carolina, USA
He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen. China
Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
Howard Plaza Hotel, Taipei, Taiwan
Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong
M+, Hong Kong
China Club, Hong Kong
Conrad Hilton Hotel, Hong Kong
JP Morgan, Hong Kong