Geng Jianyi (1962–2017) was born in Zhengzhou, Henan. He graduated from the Oil Painting Department of the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (now the China Academy of Art) in 1985. After settling in Hangzhou, he worked at the Hangzhou Silk Institute (now Zhejiang Sci-Tech University) and later at the China Academy of Art. Geng rose to prominence in the mid-1980s as a key figure of the ’85 New Wave and was a co-founder of Pond Society, an avant-garde art collective in Hangzhou. Through performance art, basic materials, installation, collage, and various other media and forms, Geng’s work consistently engages in observing and questioning social and environmental changes while continuously exploring themes of self-experimentation and identity.

Haircut Series No. 1: Cleansing in the Summer of 1985 depicts a commonplace scene in a barbershop: a customer in a red shirt sits in front of a washbasin while the barber stands beside him, washing his hair. The painting features strong color contrasts, a realistic style, and a carefully structured composition. Despite its ordinary subject matter, the work conveys an intangible sense of distance. Washing hair is an action in motion, yet the scene appears frozen in time—calm and detached. The inclusion of “1985” in the title gives the painting deeper historical significance. At the time, privately owned barbershops were an emerging phenomenon in urban life, symbolizing a shift in the era. The artist keenly captured this transformation, embedding it within his work.