Zhang Wei (*1952 in Bejing, China) moved to New York in 1986 and has been living and working in Beijing again since 2005. He is deemed as one of the first avant-garde abstract painters in China. His career began in the 1970s as part of the underground artist group—Wuming (No Name). Zhang adhered to the group’s ideals in pursuit of an independent and unique artistic style apart from the politically ordained and thus established art forms at the time. In the early ’80s, impacted by the encounters with western Abstract Expressionism, Zhang unearthed a fresh perspective on his own artistic process, delving into the form of abstraction in order to engender a singular abstract language expressing the ineffable power of artistic freedom. Zhang’s paintings echo the instinctive immediacy of action painting and their “style-as-substance” approach alludes to a profound connection to traditional Chinese ink and calligraphy. The texture of his brushwork reveals a thorough modernity that stresses the emotional significance of colors and the cathartic experience of both the creator and the viewer of these works.
Zhang Wei’s most important exhibitions include: Blooming in the Shadows: Unofficial Chinese Art, 1974-1985, China Institute Gallery, New York, USA (2011); Secret Signs: Calligraphy in Chinese Contemporary Art, DeichtorHallen, Hamburg, Germany; Right is Wrong / Four Decades of Chinese Art from the M+ Sigg Collection, Bildmuseet Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden (2014); Zhang Wei, Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin (2016); Salon Salon: Fine Art Practices from 1972 to 1982 in Profile – A Beijing Perspective, Inside-Out Art Museum, Beijing (2017); His latest solo exhibition at Galerie Krinzinger was presented in 2022 under the title The Colors of Emotions.
