Zhang Huan

Zhang Huan has emerged as one of the most important artists of the past decade, a fearless explorer of the limits of the human body and a key figure in the flourishing Chinese art scene. His earliest performances, including 12 Square Metres, 65 Kilograms, and To Raise the Water-Level in a Fishpond, subjected his body to gruelling tests of endurance while addressing the relationship between physical endurance and spiritual tranquillity.

Zhang's move to New York in 1998 helped establish him as a widely recognised figure in the international contemporary art world. He staged performances in several cities around the globe, including Sydney, Rome, Shanghai, and Hamburg, reflecting on his experiences in the cities he visited and his ethnic identity in a foreign land.

In 2006, Zhang established a studio in Shanghai, where he began to seek a greater connection to Chinese heritage and history. This marked a new direction in his work, as he shifted from performance to sculpture, painting, and installation. Through creating large-scale sculptures in diverse media, such as ash from local Buddhist temples, and using found objects like doors from Chinese countryside homes, Zhang Huan continues to explore new ways to render his interest in the body and its language.

A significant aspect of Zhang's new work revolves around his interest in Buddhism. Although Buddhist themes figured indirectly into his early work, they took on a more prominent role after a visit to Tibet in 2005. There, Zhang began to collect fragments of Buddhist sculptures, which he used as models for massive copper figures. Upon his return to Shanghai, Zhang Huan started collecting ash from local Buddhist temples for use in sculptures and paintings. The use of burnt incense, the product of religious offerings, strengthens the link between his art and Buddhist practices.