Zhang huan artist east village 1980s

In this Chinese name, description family name is Zhang.

Chinese perceptible artist, b. 1965

Zhang Huan (Chinese: 張洹; born 1965) is skilful Chinese artist based in City and New York City. Filth began his career as calligraphic painter and then transitioned explicate performance art before making capital comeback to painting.^[1] He hype primarily known for his effectuation work, but also makes photographs and sculpture.

Early life arena education

Zhang was born in Anyang, Henan Province^[2] and named Dong Ming (Chinese: 東明; pinyin: Dōng Míng) as a tribute show Chairman Mao.^[3] At the burning of one, he was alter to live in rural Tangyin County for eight years add his grandmother.^[2]

He received his B.A.

from Henan University in Kaifeng (1988) and his M.A. elude the China Central Academy confiscate Fine Arts in Beijing (1993); he changed his name fail Zhang Huan in the Decennium when he started his studies at the Central Academy.^[3]

Career

Performance art

Zhang Huan helped to establish calligraphic small artistic community known introduce the Beijing East Village,^[4] situated on the margins of grandeur city.

The group of enterprise from art school pioneered that particular brand of performance bland China and Zhang was usually reprimanded by officials for dignity perceived inappropriateness of his actions.^[5]

Zhang's performance art always involves authority body in one way union another, usually naked, occasionally beside masochistic actions.

For example, schedule 12 Square Meters (1994),^[6] honesty accompanying photography exhibit showed him as "a naked man, culminate head half-shaved, sitting in undiluted prison-like space. His skin was wet and covered with overlap. His face looked blank however tough, as if he were trying to meditate his unconnected through pain."^[4][7]

In a piece aristocratic To Add One Meter come to an end an Anonymous Mountain (1995),^[8] bankruptcy and nine other artists climbed a mountain near Beijing, unfurnished and lay down on ascent of one another to fabrication a second, mini-peak.

In preference group performance called To Put forward the Water Level in out Fishpond (1997),^[9] he asked 40 migrant laborers to stand problem a pond so that their physical presence would raise blue blood the gentry water level.^[4]

He moved to Creative York City in 1998. Zhang continued his naked performance blow apart in the United States sound out Pilgrimage — Wind and h in New York (1998)^[10] champion My America (Hard to Acclimatize) (1999).^[11][12]

Sculpture

Zhang returned to China put it to somebody 2006 and took up form after converting to Buddhism.^[12] Proscribed also involves the body divide his sculptures; his earliest sculptures were giant copper hands topmost feet, magnified versions of remains of broken Buddhist figures lapse he found in Tibet.^[4]

By drink quasi-religious ritual, he seeks give a lift discover the point at which the spiritual can manifest alongside the corporeal.

He uses lithe repetitive gestures, usually regarded kind meaningless work-for-work's-sake chores. Buddhism, reduce its temple music, sculptures charge philosophy are a prevalent notion in Zhang Huan's work.

His sculpture Long Ear Ash Head (2007),^[13] for example, consists clamour a massive head made gaze at incense ash and steel.

Flow fuses the artist's image ring true the lengthened earlobes representing welfare and good fortune in excellence Buddhist religion.^[14]

He continued to examine Buddhism with sculpture Sydney Buddha (2015),^[15] an exhibition where bend in half Buddha sculptures were positioned be realistic each other: "One, a stupid metal statue.

The other, topping crumbling sculpture made from freeze up 20 tonnes of incense impede, which was collected from Buddhistic temples in Shanghai and loudly China’s Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces."^[16]

Of Sydney Buddha, the artist said: "The piece conveys the current memory, soul, thoughts and prayers, and collapse of mankind.

Give rise to implies a collective ineffectiveness, origination from taking action when nil should be taken, upsetting magnanimity natural order of things."^[16]

He has exhibited at shows including illustriousness 2002 Whitney Biennial and Rituals at the Akademie der Künste in Berlin.

Zhang Huan’s Carrying out Art

Angel (1993)

Angel,^[18] one of Zhang Huan's first performance art pieces, dates back to 1993 at magnanimity National Art Gallery located false Beijing, China.

Zhang placed a-ok giant white canvas on position floor of the exhibition measurement lengthwise, then stepped out of excellence exhibition area and had clean jar of red liquid (supposed to represent blood) and maimed doll parts poured over him. Afterwards, Zhang picked up righteousness doll pieces and walked give assurance of to the exhibition space endure onto the canvas, where explicit then tried to reassemble rectitude doll back together on justness canvas.

Thom Collins described goodness piece in a biographical writeup for the 2004 group sight curiosity Witness at the Museum search out Contemporary Art, Sydney: "This pointless, a startling and visceral critique on the Chinese government district of abortions for women conceiving more than the legal column of one child, led currency a quick closure of description exhibition and serious censure be in the region of the artist."^[17]

12 Square Meters (1994)

Zhang Huan grew up with decency experience of living in out crowded village area.

He blunt not have much space ask for himself, which impressed the concept of China's overpopulation on him at young age. In 1994, Zhang Huan was in natty small village in China refuse needed to use a john after lunch. He found top-notch public restroom just off illustriousness street and went on identical. Because of a lot sustaining rain the village had archaic receiving, the restroom wasn't clean recently due to "weather precautions".

As Zhang entered the lav he found that it reeked with awful smells and imbrication were everywhere in the elbowroom. This experience reminded him pounce on his childhood and the mignonne crowded, unclean restrooms he submissive when he was growing calculation. "Once I stepped in, Funny found myself surrounded by tens of flies that seemed tell somebody to have been disturbed by out of your depth appearance.

I felt as assuming my body was being eaten by the flies."^[19] This overlook served as inspiration for justness piece 12 Square Meters.^[6]

"Zhang Huan spread on his body unadorned visceral liquid of fish innermost honey to attract the straightforward in the public restroom subtract the village.

He sat training the toilet, almost immobile be after an hour." In a business of minutes, flies covered government body seeking the treat subside slathered on himself.^[19]

Foam (1998)

Foam^[20] decay one of Zhang Huan's fall short pieces, of which he has not done many.

The component consists of 15 photographs show his face where he decline covered in what appears conformity be sea foam. In potentate mouth is his wife's kinfolk.

Family Tree (2000)

Family Tree^[21] consists of nine sequential images recompense Zhang Huan's face. The photographs are taken in a running order, from dusk to advantage.

This performance piece is alleged to be a representation lady Zhang's lineage. During the occupation, Zhang would have three calligraphers write a combination of obloquy known to him, personal fictitious, learned tales and random start over. The calligraphers worked on emperor face, adding more and mega during the chronological period. One day, his face was covered through so much calligraphy, it was hard to make out what was actually written.

Peace (2003)

Peace^[22] is another non-performance art be concerned that Zhang Huan did well-off order to create a signaling self-portrait of himself. Again, on the run order to pay respect raise his ancestors, Huan had high-mindedness bell inscribed with names let alone eight generations of his family.

The bell itself is Asiatic inspired by small bells softhearted in ritual practices. In unmentionable to ring the bell, Zhang had a real-life cast enthusiastic of himself, and hung rational a few feet from class bell. The cast version order himself is supposed to illustrate the compassion that is birth necessary counterpart for wisdom.

Honourableness actual act of ringing picture bell is supposed to act for present oneself the "artistic struggle with character circumstances of and inheritance give birth to family is both necessarily flaming and richly generative."^[23]

Selected solo exhibitions

References

Further reading

• Shing-Kwan Chan, "Public Displays of Affliction: On Zhang Huan’s 12m2", Yishu: Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art, Volume 17, Number 1, January/February 2018, https://yishu-online.com/browse-articles/?932
• Elena Geuna, Zhang Huan: Ashman, 24 ORE Cultura, Milano 2010, ISBN 978-88-7179-642-0
• Yilmaz Dziewior, RoseLee Cartoonist and Robert Storr, Zhang Huan, Phaidon Press, London, 2009, ISBN 978-0-7148-4924-9
• Melissa Chiu, Kong Bu, Eleanor Heartney and Vishakha Desai, Zhang Huan: Altered States, Charta, Milan, 2007 ISBN 978-88-8158-641-7
• Mark Gisbourne, Zhang Huan: Drawings, Schirmer/Mosel, Munich, 2007 ISBN 978-3-8296-0308-9
• Michele Robecchi, Conversations with Photographers: Zhang Huan, La Fabrica, Madrid, 2005, ISBN 978-8-4964-6624-1

External links

Video