Shen Shaomin's art is designed to make people think about the world around them and the impact that they have on the world, as individuals and as members of the human race. He first became famous for creating fantastic creatures out of skeletons. These include a giant mosquito, a centaur, and a three-headed beast. In an interview from December 2006, Shen said, "Some people seem to think that I make only one type of work. But they are only works from one stage of my life. In each stage I choose a different material." He has since passed through many stages of artistic creation. Today, his works include skeletons of mythical creatures, experimental fields (also constructed out of bones), bonsai, the Summit installation, Fighter X, and Kowtow Pump.