Huan
Zhang
Huan
Zhang
Zhang
Mainly known for his anti-conformist performances showcasing the body in extreme conditions, Zhang Huan has more recently introduced spiritual themes into his work, relating to Buddhism and the history of China. This often controversial artist constantly questions the representation of the mind through the body.
Born in 1965 in Henan, China, he trained at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, before setting up an artists’ residence with a group of friends in a poor working village in the east of Beijing. Together they devise performances showcasing the nude body confronted by psychological and physical ordeals. Amongst the most famous: 12m2 (1994), in which Zhang Huan smears his body with honey and oil, allowing himself to be covered by insects as he sits in a public toilet for several hours straight. Between New York and China, Zhang Huan’s work has developed gradually towards installation, sculpture and painting, into which he introduces the ash of incense burned in Buddhist temples, in reference to collective memory and the cycle of life.
The artist’s work was first shown by the Pinault Collection at the "Le Monde vous appartient" (“The World Belongs to You”) exhibition (2011-2012) at the Palazzo Grassi.
Born in 1965 in Henan, China, he trained at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, before setting up an artists’ residence with a group of friends in a poor working village in the east of Beijing. Together they devise performances showcasing the nude body confronted by psychological and physical ordeals. Amongst the most famous: 12m2 (1994), in which Zhang Huan smears his body with honey and oil, allowing himself to be covered by insects as he sits in a public toilet for several hours straight. Between New York and China, Zhang Huan’s work has developed gradually towards installation, sculpture and painting, into which he introduces the ash of incense burned in Buddhist temples, in reference to collective memory and the cycle of life.
The artist’s work was first shown by the Pinault Collection at the "Le Monde vous appartient" (“The World Belongs to You”) exhibition (2011-2012) at the Palazzo Grassi.
