Born in Shanghai, he is now based in New York City. He is known for his intimate portraits of others and himself, as well as his poetic landscape and still-life photography. His work has been exhibited internationally and is included in the permanent collection of amongst other the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Shen Wei is a recipient of the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Arts Residency, the Asian Cultural Council Arts & Religion Fellowship, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Arts Grant, and the Urban Artist Initiative NYC Fellowship. He holds an MFA in photography, video, and related media from the School of Visual Arts, New York; and a BFA in photography from Minneapolis College of Art and Design.