Zhang Yanzi 章燕紫

Zhang Yanzi was born in 1967 in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province. She lives and works in Beijing, where she is a professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA).

Zhang Yanzi explores the frailty and resilience of the human body. An artist of range, multiplicity, and invention, she has frequently investigated themes of wellness, medicine, and psychological vulnerability. In so doing, she harnesses diverse materials in her quest to contemplate the essence of a human spirit encased in a fragile, mortal form.

Zhang Yanzi’s art may be seen at the National Art Museum of China, the Jiangsu Provincial Art Museum, the CAFA Art Museum, M+ and the Audemars Piguet Museum, among others. Recent museum shows include 2016’s Essence at Hong Kong’s Museum of Medical Sciences. In 2018, she held two six-month solo shows in the UK, one at the Museum of East Asian Art in Bath, and the other at the Surgeon’s Hall Museums in Edinburgh, Scotland. She has shown regularly with Ora-Ora at Art Basel Hong Kong as well as being the subject of several solo shows at the gallery.