Phil Zheng Cai (American, b. Shanghai) is a curator and writer based in New York. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BA in Social Science, and received his MA from Sotheby’s Institute of Art. He has held posts at Mary Boone Gallery, Phillips Auctioneers, and is currently a partner at Eli Klein Gallery.
Cai’s curated exhibitions have received critical acclaim. His curated exhibition “(In)directions: Queerness in Chinese Contemporary Photography” was reviewed by Hyperallergic, Musee Magazine, Asian American Arts Alliance AMP Magazine, and many others. His curated exhibition “Alienation?” was reviewed by the Brooklyn Rail. He has participated in panel discussions and talks at institutions such as the Asia Society Museum New York, the SCAD Museum of Art, Columbia University, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, among others.
Cai’s writings are regularly published. His exhibition review “The Estate of Joshua Caleb Weibley at CHART Gallery asks if we still want to play” was recently published in WhiteHot Magazine. His interview with Bojan Stojcic “A Mirrored Interview” was published in IMPULSE Magazine. His exhibition reviews “A Proposal to Live with What Had Been There - Cynthia Gutiérrez at Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil”; “Enacting Disassociation - Jean-Luc Moulène Solo Exhibition at Miguel Abreu Gallery”; “Life as an Invitation - Yoan Capote Solo Exhibition at Jack Shainman Gallery” and critical essay “Take a Step: Phil Zheng Cai on the Opening of M+ Museum” were featured in the Widewalls Magazine.
With an interest in philosophy, his translated book “The Story of Philosophy” was published by Shanghai Yuandong Press in 2020. His critical text “Everything can become an NFT, is it true?” was published by the New York Time T Magazine China. His essay “Nomad Photography” was published in the Parsons MFA Photo thesis catalog in 2024.
Cai’s curatorial initiative Open Kitchen focuses on systematic critique, providing recontextualized commentaries following the traditions of institutional critique, highlighting the non-severability of framework and context. Its most recent exhibition “Open Kitchen - Fusion” was reviewed by IMPULSE Magazine. Its interview series “Open Kitchen Negatives” examines the concepts, origins, and ramifications of “missing parallels.”
Phil Zheng Cai currently works and lives in New York.