Born in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province in 1969, Wei Yi graduated from Beijing Central Art College in 1998. He has participated in many exhibitions in Fujian, Shanghai and Beijing. His works have been shown in Paris. A full time artist, Wei Yi lives and works in Beijing.

The paintings of Wei Yi and especially the last three series (the Passport series, the Prostitute series and the Lovers series) reflect his strong desire to portray social problems of modern China and his vision of the artist as a person with social responsibility and personal commitment.