Zhang Jian-Jun: Artist in Residence
RA Schools Studio
5 September - 14 September 2019
RA Schools, entry via Burlington Gardens entrance
10am-6pm daily.
Free, no booking required.
Chinese artist Zhang Jian-Jun is the fourth artist participating in the ongoing residency programme co-presented by the RA and KAF. See how Zhang has transformed his studio in the RA Schools for his show 'Human Traces'.
Using classical examples, such as the plaster casts from the RA Collection, Zhang will transform his studio using sound installation and portraiture made using traditional Chinese ink and charcoal drawn directly onto paper and the walls. Zhang hopes this work will bridge the gap between the audience’s understanding of the past, present and future. While Zhang's portraits will eventually disappear, it is Zhang’s hope that their memory will live on. The residency will culminate in show called Human Traces which will be open to the public.
This residency is in partnership with K11 Art Foundation (KAF), Hong Kong. KAF is a not-for-profit organisation in Hong Kong that promotes the long-term development of Chinese contemporary art and fosters artistic exchange on the international art scene. Zhang Jian-Jun is the second Chinese artist-in-residence participating in the long-term residency programme co-presented by the RA and KAF. The partnership facilitates an exchange of artistic practice with Chinese artists invited to work in London to highlight the diversity and dynamism of Chinese contemporary art and for RA Schools graduates to take up residency in China at one of the KAF artist villages. Both artists have an opportunity to engage with new and international audiences.
About Zhang Jian-Jun
Zhang Jian-Jun was born in 1955 in Shanghai. He graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy’s Department of Fine Arts in 1978 and moved to the United States in 1989. Currently, Zhang is a professor at New York University Shanghai. He lives and works in both Shanghai and New York City. Zhang began to pursue abstract painting in the 1980s. He expresses his personal perspective on humankind and the universe through the integrity of language and constantly explores the existence of the ontological status. His work displays a great sense of belief and understanding of Oriental style.
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