ZHANG PEILI

Zhang Peili (b. 1957, Hangzhou) graduated in 1984 with a degree in oil painting from the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts in Hangzhou (later renamed China Academy of Art), where he currently holds a professorship. In 1985, he organised and participated in the exhibition 1985 New Space, and, in 1986, he became a founding member of the Pond Society, an association of Hangzhou artists. His 1988 work 30x30 is considered one of China’s earliest video art works.

In 1994, he moved away from painting to pursue new mediums, such as video, text, sound and mechanical installations, and photography. In 2003, he established the Department of New Media at the China Academy of Art, the first of its kind among Chinese art academies.

Zhang has participated in major international exhibitions including the Venice Biennale, Lyon Biennale, Sydney Biennale, Gwangju Biennale, and Busan Biennale. He has also held solo exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Art Institute of Chicago, and Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art in Ghent. His works are held in numerous collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate Modern in London, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Art Institute of Chicago, and M+ in Hong Kong.