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September 2023 – Aowen was a judge for this year's Evening Standard Art Prize, reviewing amazing pieces by some the UK's most inspiring upcoming artists! Check it out.
December 2022 – Aowen helps review the year's cultural and social impact news with presenter Paul Henley on the special BBC Weekend Christmas show Listen to the programme here.
November 2021 – Aowen joins Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye to explore Chinese music, instruments, and the unique work of musician San Dingding. Listen to the programme here.
June 2020 – Aowen provides cultural insights into China's history and modern development for the Channel Five special documentary, 1000 Years of History: China. Watch the show here.
December 2019 – Aowen takes the commentary seat on BBC World Service weekend to review the world's news and cultural events from 2019. Listen to the programme here.
February 2019 – Aowen joins presenter Jude Cowan Montague to talk about Chinese Zodiac signs and the changing celebration culture in China. With special Happy Chinese New Year wishes from the studio! Listen to the programme here.
January 2019 – Aowen donated her entire art collection of Magical Garden, commissioned for Eltham Palace, to Charity art organisation EEA. Aowen was disabled for half of 2018 and it was thanks to people all around her and the generosity of everyone that she was able to walk again and even complete one sold out exhibition at the end of last year. A big THANK YOU from Aowen and her team!
December 2018 – Aowen joined Mike Carlson and Julian Worricker on the last BBC Weekend of the year to reflect on the biggest news stories of 2018 over the two hour show. Listen to the programme here.
December 2018 – Aowen was commissioned by English Heritage to highlight and celebrate the historical and artistic prestige of Eltham Palace.
November 2018 – Aowen discussed cultural impact on Dolce & Gabbana's racism scandal in China and how the company's apology has been received in the country.
August 2018 – Aowen joined writer Stella Duffy, poet Kei Miller, philosopher Julian Baggini and composer Philip Venables to discuss where creative inspiration comes from. Listen to the full programme here.
July 2018 – Aowen spoke about the power of art in the new era of leisure, and participated in a panel discussion between artists, professionals and educators. The Association has over 40 years of history, bringing together academics to share new research on the leisure industry - including from America, Cananda, Europe, Australia, Japan and Iran.
June 2018 – Aowen hosted an AMA (ask me anything) session on Reddit to launch The Edge Gallery's new art prize, the Visions of Science Art Prize, and talk about her new art project with Bath University's professors and researchers as their Artist in Residence.
June 2018 – Aowen was a speaker and panelist at the A Culture of Lates Conference. She joined the heads of events and projects from museums and galleries across Britain, including the National Gallery and the National History Museum, to discuss the need to break the visitor norm and reach new audiences.
May 2018 – Aowen was interviewed by international lifestyle magazine Roof about her art practice and her unique perspective on the relationship between the viewer and the artist. View an extract on their website.
March 2018 – Aowen was invited to BBC's flagship arts programme Front Row to discuss the state of contemporary art in China and how Chinese female artists address gender topics in China's new political landscape. Listen to the full programme here.
January 2018 – Aowen was a guest lecturer at the Chelsea College of Arts, University of London and talked about her art practice and how she defines her work as microsocial art. She gave insights into how to be a practicing artist in a competitive market, and encouraged students to be more self aware and believe in their own individuality.
December 2017 – Aowen joined presenter Paul Henley and Chatham House Associate Fellow Quentin Peel for a two hour long broadcast, discussing the week's news, culture and politics.
November 2017 – Aowen has launched a new art project with the University of Bath, supported by the British Arts Council. At the kick off symposium in Bath hosted by the University of Bath's Art Director Jamie Eastman, Aowen discussed the importance of collaboration between science and art - along with artists, researchers and the Chief Executive of the Arts Council, Darren Henley and the Wellcome Trust's Director of Culture, Simon Chaplin.
October 2017 – Aowen takes part in a discussion on the BBC World Service's Outside Source programme regarding the controversial IKEA ad about leftover women in China.
October 2017 – Aowen spent the last month in Beijing's media city, invited to be part of Chinese Central Televisions new flagship cultural debate show which will be broadcast internationally in December.
April 2017 – Aowen took part in a panel discussion about the romanticisation of orientalism at China Exchange in the heart of London's China Town. Find out more
March 2017 – Aowen was a visiting lecturer at Coventry University, mentoring art students and delivering a lecture about her art practice and the relative art scenes in China and the UK.
March 2017 – Aowen was invited to hold a lecture about artistic freedom in China and Britain at the Murray Edwards college in Cambridge University.
January 2017 – Aowen talked on BBC World Service Newsday about the new phenomenon of live streaming in China and how a new generation of content producers are finding innovative ways to fund their creativity. Listen here
November 2016 – Aowen gave a two hour commentary on current affairs, race and masculinity on the BBC's award winning talk show Weekend. Listen here
November 2016 – The BBC's flagship news programme asked Aowen to give insight in the drive and cultural trends surrounding Chinese Singles Day. Why and what is it, and how is it not just changing China, but also the world. Listen here
November 2016 – Aowen explains what cultural influences make Chinese tourists so drawn to the pub that Xi Jinping and David Cameron visited together. Listen here
October 2016 – Aowen's artwork The Ritual opens at Compton Verney Museum & Art Gallery as part of the national Museums At Night Festival. See all photos
October 2016 – Aowen joined host Zoe Baxter on the Lucky Cat radio show to talk about her new ongoing Factory Girls project and her upcoming Museums at Night exhibition, along with the latest in contemporary Chinese culture. Listen to the show
October 2016 – Marvel at Aowen's spectacular field of glowing rice on the 29th of October at Compton Verney - part of the Museums at Night festival. Find out more
October 2016 – Aowen has been demonstrating her specially treated rice and inspiring the team at Compton Verney before her Museums at Night exhibition on the 29th October.
Photographs by Michael Robertson-Smith
September 2016 – Aowen will be a guest speaker at B!RTH Festival in Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre on October 19th, on a panel with human rights campaigner and shadow Attorney General Shami Chakrabarti, lawyer Karin Kuhlemann, and Director of The Centre for Labour & Social Studies Dr. Faiza Shaheen. Read more and book tickets
August 2016 – Aowen joined legendary typographer Alan Kitchin and Shard structural engineer Roma Agrawal, discussing visual image overload. Listen to the programme
July 2016 – Aowen was a guest on the Islam Channel, a free-to-air satellite channel watched by almost 60% of British Muslims, discussing her Midlight artwork and career
May 2016 – Compton Verney is the winning organisation to host Aowen's Museums at Night event in October.
This award winning national art gallery is based in a Grade-I listed Georgian mansion, set in 120 acres of park designed by the famous landscape architect Capability Brown. Their Chinese collection of bronze is nationally designated. Find out more
April 2016 – Voting has begun on this year's Museums at Night event! Five amazing venues across the UK are competing for Aowen to create a stunning light-based artwork on-site, to be shown in November this year. Choose between Compton Verney Art Gallery, Fulham Palace, Ironbridge Gorge Museum, Rhondda Heritage Park and Torre Abbey.
Voting is open until Saturday 14th May, and you can place your vote on the Museums at Night website.
February 2016 – Aowen took part in a panel discussion at the newly opened China Exchange in London, discussing censorship, attitutes to sex, and capitalism vs communism in modern China. Find out more.
