1977年 毕业中国上海戏剧学院舞台美术系，在毕业留校任教期间，经历了跨越造型艺术、戏剧、音乐、文学各个门类的深化学习，为胡项城今后的艺术活动确定了一条独特的道路。
1978年 为了支持西藏的教育，在西藏大学艺术系任教达二年。在此期间，经受无神论教育体系长期
熏陶的胡项城，在西藏生活工作的经历中，反而意外地感受到了西藏的精神和物质世界不可分割的另类境界。
1986年 胡项城旅居日本，从事当代艺术、民间工艺学、造型学的研究；90年代初，胡项城参与了上海双年展的创立；不久，就开始了为期三年的南部非洲艺术创作和游历考察活动。
从上海到西藏，到东京，到非洲，到纽约，到巴黎，还有中国的乡村等等地方，胡项城以居住者，而非旅游者的身份进行深入的文化艺术活动，在长期的艺术生涯和大量的文化艺术活动中，不断的思索、深化、升华、总结，从而提出了不同地域的当代艺术家应当有不同的任务，当代艺术家介入社会不应当仅仅停留在提出问题的层面，更重要的是应当积极参与和寻找社会问题的解决途径。
基于上述理念，胡项城更是身体力行。自2000年起，胡项城回归中国，进行中国传统文化的复兴，和积极倡导和提升乡村文明水平。在上海郊区的金泽、青浦、朱家角等地孤心苦诣地打造他的理想天地。那是以大量社会调查为基础的一系列重建社会生活的个案，从融入老街的铺路到运用营造法式修复的建筑物，从传统手工艺的传承和整理到我们睿智的祖先创立的华夏民族节日的复兴，涉及建筑、空间、器物与仪式等全部生活内容。使林立的高楼压抑空间中镶嵌入一片粉墙黛瓦，在数不清的钢筋水泥森林中保存下一块传统的生活图像。
以这些个案为出发点，他希望重新建立完整的东方人的生活系统，一个有礼、有度、有情、有义的生活世界。同时，胡项城在自身艺术的追求上，也在不断地攀登高峰。
2000年 担任上海双年展艺术委员会委员；参加了未来艺术展，获日本文化奖；第二年赴亚洲、欧洲、非洲，考察研究乡土文化，特征建筑。
2002年 参加巴黎-北京、法国-中国现代艺术展；担任上海双年展艺术委员会执行委员；同时担任上海青浦老城区概念性规划设计、上海青浦小西门地块改建设计、上海金泽镇概念性规划设计、金泽镇传统铺地实施的工作。
2003年 担任中国美术学院地之缘学术委员会顾问；作为上海设计艺术大展 “家-从传统到现代” 策展人；上海美术馆“笔墨意韵-国际水墨艺术展”学术委员。
2004年 参加了意大利威尼斯国际开放雕塑展；担任上海双年展艺术委员会委员；参加日本福井市立美术馆“古今国际现代艺术展水墨艺术”展。
2005年 参加了日本横浜三年展“建筑违章”；担任上海一城九镇建设，朱家角镇建设顾问。
2006年 作为策展人，参加了台北市立美术馆“中国空间里的现代艺术——黄盒子”。
2007年 担任上海双年展学术委员会委员；参加威尼斯开放雕塑展；上海美术馆“胡项城艺术展—陌生者的行程”；澳门艺术博物馆中国当代艺术展“显微境-观”。
2008年 巴西圣保罗建筑双年展；担任中国上海世界博览会非洲联合馆艺术总监。
2010年
参加中印文化展；沪申画廊个展“出神入神”。
显然，胡项城是一个不择不扣的异数——他的工作并不完全属于我们习见中的当代艺术的范畴，其影响已经超出了传统的艺术边界。
Hu Xiangcheng CV
1977 Graduated from the Stage Design Department of Shanghai Theatre Academy; Stayed in the college as a professor and practiced in various fields including visual arts, drama, music, literature, etc., which paved way for his artistic activities in the future.
1978 Taught at the Fine Arts Department of Tibet University for two years; In Tibet the artist who was educated to be an atheist was roused by the connectivity of Tibetan’s mental and physical world.
1986 Moved to Japan; was involved in the research of contemporary art, folk craft art and visual art; In the early 1990s, he participated in the establishment of Shanghai Biennial and later on, started his three-year exploration in South Africa for artistic creation.
From Shanghai to Tibet, Tokyo, Africa, New York, Paris and also many villages in China, Hu played a role as a habitant rather than traveler in all of these cultural settings, during which he was continuously thinking, developing, sublimating and summarizing. Accordingly, he put forward that contemporary artists from different areas should approach different tasks, and furthermore, they are expected not only to raise social questions, but also to take action to work out their solutions.
Based on the statement above, Hu put it into practice; He returned to China in 2002, positively advocated and improved the state of civilization in rural areas, and worked on the renaissance of Chinese traditional culture; He is currently re-building his ideal community in the suburbs of Shanghai including Jin Ze Town in Qingpu District and Zhu Jiajiao etc.
To rebuild traditional social life, a series of case studies were initiated that covered the entire spectrum of social life ranging from laying down antique streets to renovating architecture by using traditional methods of construction; from the inheritance and organization of traditional handicrafts to the renaissance of Chinese folk festivals that were established by wise forefathers, which cover every aspect of life including architecture, space, utensils, and rituals. By integrating antique and traditional houses into a landscape of high-rises, Hu tries to preserve an image of Oriental living amongst the boundless concrete jungle.
Taking these projects as a starting point, he hopes to reestablish an Oriental lifestyle and living world with etiquette, rules, sentiment and friendship. Meanwhile, Hu has also scaled the heights for his own artistic pursuit.
2000 Selected as the member of academic committee of the 6th Shanghai Biennial; Winner of Japanese Culture Prize in Future Art Exhibition; Travelled around Asia, Europe and Africa, to study local cultures and architecture.
2002 Exhibited in Paris-Pekin Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition; Was the executive member of academic committee of 7th Shanghai Biennial; Designer of the conceptual planning program in Jin Ze Town of Qingpu District; Designer of the Minor West Gate rebuilding project in Qingpu District; In charge of the traditional road-paving construction.
2003
Consultant of academic committee of China Academy of Fine Art; Curator of Shanghai Design and Art Exhibition “Home: from Tradition to Modern”; Member of academic committee of “Brush, Ink, Sense, Rhyme” International Water-Color Painting Invitation Exhibition in Shanghai Art Museum;
2004 Exhibited in the International Exhibition of Sculptures and Installations in Venice, Italy; Member of academic committee of 8th Shanghai Biennial; Exhibited in the “International Contemporary Ink Art Exhibition” in Fukui City Art Museum.
2005 Exhibited in “YOKOHAMA 2005: International Triennial of Contemporary Art”; In charge of the construction project “One City, Nine Towns” in Shanghai; Consultant of the development of Zhu Jiajiao Town
2006 Curated the show “Yellow Box: Contemporary Art and Architecture in a Chinese Space” in Taipei Fine Art Museum
2007 Member of academic committee of 9th Shanghai Biennial; Exhibited in “Open 2007 International Sculpture Exhibition” in Venice, Italy; Exhibited in “Microcosm: Chinese Contemporary Art” in The Macau Museum of Art; Had a solo exhibition in Shanghai Art Museum
2008 Exhibited in San Paulo Biennial; Art director of Africa Joint Pavilion of Shanghai Expo
2010 Exhibited in “China - Indonesia Islamic Cultural Expo and Art Show”; Had the solo show “Itinerant Deities” in Shanghai Gallery of Art at Three on the Bund.
As an artist, Hu is totally unique, whose category of work has gone far beyond the boundary of the usual modes of art making.
【编辑：霍春常】
编辑：霍春常