Zhang Dali

Born in 1963 in Harbin, Zhang Dali, also known by the pseudonyms of 18k and AK-47, he is a Chinese…

Biography

Born in 1963 in Harbin, Zhang Dali, also known by the pseudonyms of 18k and AK-47, he is a Chinese artist who enjoys experimenting with the most diverse techniques and mediums, moving from graffiti to photography, from sculpture to paint. His art highlights the rapid social changes that have swept through China over the past twenty years.

After studying traditional Chinese bookbinding at the Central Academy of Art and Design in Beijing, Zhang Dali went to Italy where he discovered the art of graffiti. He then began to paint on the demolished walls of Beijing in the early 1990s. Between 1995 and 1998, he painted his profile on nearly two thousand buildings in the city, near the Chinese character “chai” affixed by the city administration on buildings slated for rapid demolition.

In early 2000, he tackled a series of portraits of migrant workers. By producing this important series of paintings bearing the inscription “AK-47” (in reference to the famous Russian Kalashnikov) he wants to pay tribute to the millions of people who came from all over the country to rebuild the great Chinese metropolises. These migrant workers, who are called “Mingong”, constitute a special group that was created during China’s post-reform era. Through this series Zhang Dali evokes several themes related to the current situation in China. The first theme he addresses is that of violence, physical but also moral, suffered by Chinese workers: “In China, violence exists somewhere between habit and indifference. Migrant workers live in extreme conditions and many are victims of the accelerated growth of the country’s economy. Although they contribute significantly to this economy, they are also its victims because they have no rights or protections in the context of their employment. But they are also themselves the source of this violence, once they obtain a better position, by perpetuating the vicious circle which consists in subjugating the weakest. In this sense, the executioners and the victims are one in a world where morality and balance are absent. »

The reference to the AK-47, one of the most powerful and lethal weapons in this world, also symbolizes this violence by evoking the brutality of society. It allows Zhang Dali to reflect in his works reflect his opinions on the unequal treatment of Chinese citizens and to raise the question of the possible reintegration of these members of society into an economy that places them in withdrawal.

Zhang Dali also addresses the theme of poverty through these portraits, in reference to his own life experiences (he himself experienced the poverty of an artist without resources), but from a double perspective. He considers that these experiences also have a positive aspect because they lead us to rethink the situation of these workers in terms of self-esteem and autonomy.

Career

PERSONAL EXHIBITIONS

2019
Zhang Dali per Fondantico, Fondantico, Bologna, Italy (Jan 26 - Feb 5)

2018
Alter Ego, Annual Art Exhibition between China and Portuguese Speaking Countries, Old Courthouse, Macao 
Beside City! Be Cityside!, Hefei Financial Harbor, Hefei, China (Oct19 – Mar19 2019)
AK-47 di Zhang Dali, Art City, S.Giorgio in Poggiale, Bologna, Italy (Feb 2 - 4)
Zhang Dali: Monumental Nature, Pékin Fine Arts, Beijing, Cina (Mar 10 - May 20)
Meta-morphosis, Palazzo Fava, Bologna, Italy (Mar 23 - Jun 24)

2017
Body and Soul, Museum Beelden aan Zee, The Hague, Holland (Jul 1 - Oct 8)

2016
Performance and Impermanence, New Works by Zhang Dali, Beijing Minsheng Art Museum, Beijing, China (solo exhibition)

2015
Zhang Dali, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
“Zhang Dali,” Kunstverein Ludwigsburg, Ludwigsburg, Germany
From Reality to Extreme Reality - Zhang Dali Retrospective Research Exhibition,United Museum, Wuhan, China

2014
Square, Klein Sun Gallery, New York, USA

2013
Second History, Luxun Academy of Fine Arts Museum, Shenyang, China

2012
Zhang Dali Retrospective, Eli Klein Fine Art, New York, USA

2011
World’s Shadows, Pékin Fine Arts, Beijing, China
Demolition: Second History, The Charles Shain Library, Connecticut College, New London, USA
New Slogan, Eli Klein Fine Art, New York, USA

2010
Extreme Reality, Tank Loft, Chongqing Contemporary Art Center, Chonqing, China
Zhang Dali: A Second History, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou, China
Zhang Dali Solo Show, Magda Danysz / Bund 18 Gallery, Shanghai, China

2009
Pervasion: Works by Zhang Dali (1995-2008), He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen, China
Il Sogno Proibito della Nuova Cina, Palazzo Inghilterra, Turin, Italy

2008
Slogans, Kiang Gallery, Atlanta, USA
The Road to Freedom, Red Star Gallery, Beijing, China

2007
Chinese Offspring, Chinese Contemporary Gallery, New York, USA

2006
Zhang Dali: Image and Revision in New Chinese Photography,
Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center, Macalester College, St. Paul, USA
A Second History, Ferst Center for the Arts, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA
Zhang Dali: A Second History, Walsh Gallery, Chicago, USA

2005
Sublimation, Galerie Beijing Commune, Beijing, China
New Works by Zhang Dali, Chinese Contemporary Gallery, London, UK

2004
New Works By Zhang Dali, Galerie Chinese Contemporary, London, UK

2003
AK-47, Galleria Il Traghetto, Venice, Italy
AK-47, Galleria Gariboldi, Milan, Italy

2002
Beijing’s Face, Base Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Headlines, Chinese Contemporary Gallery, London, UK

2000
AK-47, Galerie CourtYard, Beijing, China

1999
Dialogue, Chinese Contemporary Gallery, London, UK
Dialogue and Demolition, The Courtyard Gallery, Beijing, China

1994
Rivoluzione e Violenza, Galleria Studio 5, Bologna, Italy

1993
Zhang Dali: Pitture a Inchiostro, Galleria Studio 5, Bologna, Italy

1989
Wash Painting Exhibition by Zhang Dali, Central Academy of Fine Arts Museum, Beijing, China

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2022
TRUE FACE, Galerie Danysz, London, UK

2021
Among all Essence, Shanghai Jiushi Art Museum, Shanghai, China (Nov 7, 2021 - Jan 9, 2022)
Super Fusion – 2021 Chengdu Art Biennale, Tianfu Art Park, Chengdu, China (Nov 6, 2021 – Apr 6, 2022)
The Logic of Painting, Xinjiang Art Museum, Urumqi, China (May 21 – Jun 20)

2020
The Logic of Painting, Shijiazhuang Art Museum, Shijiazhuang, China (Dec 20 – Feb 28, 2021)
Four-Dimensional Scenery, K-Gallery, Chengdu, China (Dec 6, 2020 – Jan 17, 2021)
Apnea, NL Museum (online exhibition), Beijing, China (Jun 8)

2019
"From China with Love", Galerie Danysz, Paris, France
Swimming in the World of Images, WE Gallery, Shanghai, China (Nov 9 — April 30, 2020)
A Confrontation of Ideas, Anren Biennale, Anren, China (Oct 12 – Feb 12, 2020)
180 Years of Photography in China, Moca, Yinchuan, China (Aug 19 – Nov 24)
The 8th Dali International Photography Exposition, Dali, China (Aug 17 – Aug 21)
Graffiti The Prose of Freedom, China Check Art Museum, Beijing, China (Aug 4 – Aug 10)
Bubble – Profile of Time, Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center, Shanghai, China, (Jun 22 – Jul 14)
Shenzhen International Beach Sculpture Festival, Golden Sand Beach, Shenzhen, China (Jun 1 – Jul 8)
NordArt2019, Kunstwerk Carlshütte, Büdelsdorf, Germany (Jun 1 – Oct 13)
A Fairy Tale in Red Times, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne,Australia (May 3 – Oct 6)
Golden Panda Photography Awards, Chengdu Contemporary ImageMuseum, Chengdu, China (Apr 27 – Oct 27)
New Art History, Moca, Yinchuan, China (Mar 10 – May 22)

2017
CHINESE NEW YEAR, Galerie Magda Danysz, Shanghai, China

2016
Art From The StreetsCAFA Art Museum, Beijing, China
The Shadow Never Lies Shanghai 21st Century Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai, China
Utopias and Heterotopias: Wuzhen International Contemporary Art Exhibition North Silk Factory and West Scenic Zone, Wuzhen, China
Audacious: Contemporary Artist Speak Out Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO

2015
Community Implant Plan, Chengdu Jinjiang Museum, Chengdu, China
Suddenly Enlightened – Chinese and German Conceptual Art Comparative Research Exhibition, United Museum, Wuhan China
ART PARK, Art Beijing, Agricultural Exhibition Center of China, Beijing, China
Photomonth, Muzeum Sztuki i Techniki Japonskiej, Krakow, Poland
De/constructing China, Asia Society, New York, USA
The Civil Power, Beijing Minsheng Art Museum，Beijing，China
Don't ask me where are you from, Aros Art Museum，Arhus，Denmark
Under the Sky, Pékin Fine Arts Gallery, Hong Kong, China
Zhang Dali – World's Shadows, Ludwisburg Kunstverein, Ludwisburg Germany
A Second History, MACBA - Museum of Contemporary Art , Buenos Aires Argentina
A Second History, Red Brick Factory Art District, Guangzhou China
Exhibition,United Museum, Wuhan, China

2014
Focus Beijing – Des Heus-Zomer Collection, Museum Boilmans, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Echo: Study on Presentation of Multidimensional Tradition in Chinese Contemporary Art, United Art Museum, Wuhan, China
4th Edition Singapore International Photography Festival, ArtScience Museum, Singapore
From Granulation to Pixel: Chinese Contemporary Photography, Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai, Shanghai, China
Chinese Contemporary Photography 2009 – 2014, Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai, China

2013
FUCK OFF 2, The Groniger Museum, Groningen, Netherlands
Voice of the Unseen: Chinese Independent Art 1797/Today, Arsenale Nord, Venice, Italy
Hot Pot: A Taste of Contemporary Chinese Art, Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, Brattleboro, VT, USA
RE-INK: Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary Ink Wash Painting 2000 – 2012, Hubei Museum of Art, Wuhan, Hubei, China; Today Art Museum, Beijing, China
Individual Growth - Momentum of Contemporary Art, Tianjin Art Museum, Tianjin, China
Incarnations, Institut Confucius des Pays de la Loire d’Angers, Angers, France
Aure and Post Aura, The First Beijing Photography Biennale, China
Millennium Monument, Beijing, China
World's Shadows, Photo Phnom Penh 2013, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Spectacle Reconstruction – Chinese Contemporary Art, MODEM, Debrecen, Hungary
Aftermath: Witnessing War, Countenancing Compassion, 21c Museum, Louisville, USA

2012
OMEN 2012 - Chinese New Art, Shanghai Art Museum (Meishuguan), Shanghai, China
Raze, Peking Fine Arts, Beijing, China
Faking It: Manipulating Photography Before Photoshop, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
The Unseen, The 4th Guangzhou Triennial, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou, China
Body Double: The Figure in Contemporary Sculpture, The Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, USA

2011
World’s Shadows, Pékin Fine Arts, Beijing, China
Demolition: Second History, The Charles Shain Library, Connecticut College, New London, USA
New Slogan, Eli Klein Fine Art, New York, USA

2010
Extreme Reality, Tank Loft, Chongqing Contemporary Art Center, Chonqing, China
Zhang Dali: A Second History, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou, China
Zhang Dali Solo Show, Magda Danysz / Bund 18 Gallery, Shanghai, China

2009
Pervasion: Works by Zhang Dali (1995-2008), He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen, China
Il Sogno Proibito della Nuova Cina, Palazzo Inghilterra, Turin, Italy

2008
Slogans, Kiang Gallery, Atlanta, USA
The Road to Freedom, Red Star Gallery, Beijing, China

2007
Chinese Offspring, Chinese Contemporary Gallery, New York,

2006
Radar: Selections from the Collection of Kent and Vicki Logan, Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO
China Now, Essl Museum, Vienna, Austria
Fever Variations, 6th Gwangju Biennale, Gwangju, South Korea
Red Star, 798 Factory Red Star Gallery, Beijing, China
Great Performance, Max Protetch, New York, USA

2005
Wall, Millennium Museum, Beijing, China
Mayfly, Beijing Commune Gallery, Beijing, China
The Game of Realism, Beijing Commune Gallery, Beijing, China
Chinese Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition, Museum Beelden aan Zee, Scheveningen, The Netherlands

2004
Between Past and Future: New Photography and Video from China,
International Center of Photography, New York, USA
Between Past and Future: New Photography and Video from China, Asia Society, New York, USA
Between Past and Future: New Photography and Video from China, Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago, Chicago
Between Past and Future: New Photography and Video from China, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
Between Past and Future: New Photography and Video from China, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK
Between Past and Future: New Photography and Video from China, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, USA
Between Past and Future: New Photography and Video from China, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Germany
Between Past and Future: New Photography and Video from China, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, USA
“Between Past and Future: New Photography and Video from China,” The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, USA
“Critical Mass,” Chinese Contemporary Gallery, Beijing, China
“Me! Me! Me!” The Courtyard Gallery, Beijing, China

2003
The Logan Collection, Denver Art Museum, Denver, USA
China-Germany Art, Factory 798, Beijing, China
Festival Internazionale di Roma, L'Officina-Arte del Borghetto, Rome, Italy

2002
New Photography from China, The Courtyard Gallery, Beijing, China
1st Guangzhou Triennial, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou, China
International Photography Festival, Pingyao, China

2001
Courtyard Gallery August Group Show, The Courtyard Gallery, Beijing, China
China Art Now, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore
Contemporary Chinese Photography, Oulu Art Museum, Oulu, Finland
Contemporary Chinese Photography, Finland Museum of Photography, Helsinki, Finland
Hot Pot, Kunstnernes, Oslo, Norway

2000
Fuck Off, Eastlink Gallery, Shanghai, China
Artistes Contemporains Chinois, Musee des Tapisseries, Aix-en-Provence, France
Thought Brand Meat Mincer, Dongsi 8 Tiao Performance, Beijing, China
Food as Art, Club Vogue, Beijing, China
Serendipity, The Japan Foundation Asia Center, Tokyo, Japan

1999
Transparence Opacite?, Valle d’Aosta, Italy
Food for Thought, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Beijing in London, ICA, London, UK
HSIN: a visible spirit, Cypress College & BC Space Gallery, Cypress, CA
The World Is Yours! Design Museum Performance, Beijing, China
Unveiled Reality-Chinese Contemporary Photography, Chulalongkom University Museum, Bangkok, Thailand
Chinese Contemporary Photography, Bard College, Red Hook, NY

1998
Chinese Artists Group Show, Chinese Contemporary Gallery, London, UK
Chinese Contemporary Photography, Lehman College, New York, USA
11th Tallinn Triennial, Tallinn, Estonia
Urbanity, Wang Shou Temple Art Museum, Beijing, China

1997
W ²+ Z ²- Multi-media and video Exhibition, Gallery of the National Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China

1995
La Formazione della Terra, Goethe Institute Gallery, Turin, Italy

1993
Arte Deperibile, Spazio Cultura Navile, Bologna, Italy
Zona Internazionale, Neon Gallery, Bologna, Italy

1992
Collettiva Di Artisti Cinesi, Il Sigillo Gallery, Padova, Italy

1991
Pittura su Carta, Galleria Communale, Ferrara, Italy

1989
Wash Painting Salon in Peking, Capital Museum, Beijing, China

1987
Three Men Show, Sun Yat Sen Park, Beijing, China