Zhong Biao
Zhong Biao (Chinese, b.1968) was born in Chongqing, China. He studied at the Zhejiang Fine Arts Academy in Hangzhou, China, and graduated in 1987. Biao is well-known for his paintings, which depict cultural symbols and human figures that seem to defy time and space. Beyond Black and Gold is a typical representation of his work. The background of the painting features a modern Chinese cityscape with skyscrapers and industrial buildings. Shadowy figures defy gravity while jumping, running, and diving in midair. The painting is produced with oil paint on canvas, but the artist also works with acrylics. His main color palette consists of charcoal gray, black, white, and gold, but Biao has also been known to accent his pieces with vibrant shades of red.
The artist is inspired by the rapidly changing China. The country has grown economically, culturally, and politically, and these themes can be found in his work. In a recent interview, Biao described his style: “More than anything, my art is an art which searches for order. I search for the order that belongs to the era of today, taking coincidence as a theory of methodology that can explain its everyday connection with the omnipresent.” Forging Towards Shangri-La is another example of his work. The painting is oil on canvas and depicts two Asian school children laughing and wearing military-colored clothing. Another smiling child wears aviator goggles on his head, and a Caucasian baby dressed in overalls seems completely unaware of the surroundings. The background contains images of Chinese buildings, jagged mountains, and clouds. Another figure swan dives through the air. The painting, which seems to show two separate but combined worlds, has a military feel that can be found in many of his pieces.
Biao was selected to show his work at the high-profile Shanghai Biennale in 2006. His work has been showcased in many exhibitions and has been featured at the Art Scene Warehouse in Shanghai, the Frey Norris Gallery in San Francisco, and Christie’s in London. His work is highly recognizable, and he is considered one of the most influential modern Chinese artists in the world. Biao continues to live in China, and is an art professor at the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts.
1968 Born in Chongqing, Sichuan Province, China
1987 Studied at Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (China Academy) Hangzhou, China
■ Solo Exhibitions
1996 The Fable of Life, Museum of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Chongqing, China
1997 The Fable of Life, Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong
2001 A Chance Existence, Art Scene China, Hong Kong
2004 Zhong Biao, Benamou Gallery, Paris, France
Ubiquity, Art Scene Warehouse, Shanghai, China
2005 Solo Exhibition, Art Scene Warehouse, Shanghai, China
“American Debut”, Frey Norris Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2006 Chance Encounter – Zhong Biao, ChinaToday Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
Zhong Biao, Zeit-Foto Salon, Tokyo, Japan
2007 Beyond Paintings, Xin Dong Cheng Space for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China
Splendid Over 10 Years of Exploration, Olyvia Oriental Gallery, London, England
American Debut, Frey Norris Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2008 Revelation – Zhong Biao Solo Exhibition, Shine Art Space, Shanghai, China
2009 The Tendency of Events, Yuz Art Museum, Jakarta, Indonesia
■ Exhibitions
1990 Chinese Oil Painting Selective Exhibition, Tokyo
The Second Chinese Sports Art Exhibition, China Art Museum, Beijing, China
1994 8th Chinese Oil Painting Biennial Exhibition, Beijing
1995 Vision of China – Contemporary Paintings by Chinese Masters, Pacific City Club。Bangkok, Thailand
History of Contemporary Chinese Oil Painting- From Realism to Past to Modernism, Galerie Theoremes Brussels, Belgium
1996 “Elevenses- The Avant-Garde”, Taikoo Place Hong Kong
1997 “Walking to a New Century- Young Chinese Oil Painting”, Beijing
“Portraits of the Ladies Exhibition”, Shoeni Art Gallery Hong Kong
Guanshanyue Art Museum, Shenzhen.Pacific Plaza, Chongqing.Art Museum of Luxun Fine Arts Academy, Shenyang, China
1998 “5 + 5 Russian and Chinese Paintings”, Schoeni Art Gallery Hong Kong
“Confused- Reckoning With the Future”, Contemporary Chinese Paintings and
Photography, Amsterdam
“ Urban Personality- Contemporary Chinese Art”, Chongqing
“Asian Avant-Garde, Christie’s London”, United Kingdom
1999 “The Northeast and Third World Art Exhibition”, Seoul
“Joint Exhibition of Chinese-Vietnamese Oil Painting”, Singapore
“1990s Pop Pictures”, Shanghai, China
“As Beautiful as Materialism – Chinese New Concept Art Exhibition”, Shanghai
“Sharp New Sights – From Young Artists Born Around 1970”, Beijing International
Art Gallery, Beijing Hexiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen, China
“The Ninth Annual Art Exhibition of China”, Shanghai
2000 “At the New Century: 1979-1999”, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
“The Individual and Society in Art – A Collection of Works of Art by Eleven Artists”, Guangdong Art Museum, Guangzhou, China Exhibition at Guangdong Art Museum, Guangzhou, China
2001 “SF4 2001”, San Fransisco International Art Exhibition, Fort Mason, San Francisco,
USA
“China Art Now!”, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore
“Chinese Culture Week”, El Salvador and Sao Paolo, Brazil
“Chilli from Chongqing”, Kultur Bahnhof, Kassel, Germany
“Next Generation – Contemporary Asian Art”, Passage de Retz, Paris, France
“Lust for Life”, Galerie Piltzer, Paris, France
2002 “Summer Exhibition”, David Floria Gallery, Aspen, Colorado, USA
“Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition of Painting”, National Art Museum, Peru
“Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition of Painting”, Mexico Post Palace, Mexico
2003 “People and People – Chinese Modern and Contemporary Art Collections”, “Guangdong Art Museum”, Guangzhou, China
“The First Beijing International Art Biennale”, China Art Museum, Beijing, China
“Third China National Exhibition of Oil Paintings”, China Art Museum, Beijing, China
“Image of Image”, Shenzhen Art Museum, Shenzhen, China
2004 “The Art Scene in China”, Art Scene Warehouse, Shanghai, China。
“Asian Invitational,” Group Exhibition, Frey Norris Gallery, San Francisco, CA
“In Between”, The Contemporary Oil Painting Exhibition, Tang Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand
2005 “Cohesion”, Art Scene Warehouse, Shanghai, China
“The Second Triennial of Chinese Art,” Nanjing Museum, Nanjing, China
“In Honor of ‘ 85: 2005→1985”, Shanghai Duolun Modern Art Museum, Shanghai, China
“In the Deep of Reality – A Case of Chinese Contemporary Art”, UG Beyond City, Hangzhou, China
“Grounding Reality”, Seoul Art Center, Seoul, Korea
“Above and Below the River – Oil Paintings of the New Period in China”, China Art. Museum, Beijing, China
2006 “The Self-Made Generation – A Retrospective of New Chinese Painting”, Shanghai “Zendai Museum of Modern Art”, Shanghai, China
“Time and Signs – China – Vietnam” – Indonesia Joint Art Exhibition, Jakarta, Indonesia
“Oriental Imagination”, China Art Museum, Beijing, China
“New York Asian Art Symposium”, The Armory Show, New York, USA
“Now – Wiedergeburt des Mystischen”, The ESSL Collection Museum, Austria
“Body” – Contemporary Art Exhibition, Nanjing Endless Contemporary Art Space, Nanjing, China
“Temptation”, Olyvia Oriental Gallery, London, England
“Art Beijing”, National Agricultural Exhibition Center, Beijing, China
2007 “Chinese Contemporary SOCART”, The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia
“Cohesion, Art Scene Warehouse”, Shanghai, China
“Beyond Painting”, Xin Dong Cheng Gallery, Beijing, China
“Splendid…Over 10 Years of Exploration”, Olyvia Oriental Gallery, London, England
2008 “The Position of Zhong Biao-Essen,” Galerie Frank Schlang and Cie, Germany
“Beijing-Athens: Contemporary Art from China”, City of Athens Technopolis,
Greece
“3.15- Let’s consume!, Xin Dong Cheng Space for Contemporary Art”, Beijing, China
2009 “Beijing-Havana” – National art museum, La Habana, Cuba
“The very condition”, The Wall Museum, Beijing
“Game of acting the foul II Gallery TN”, Beijing
“Embrace!” – Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO
“On Love? On War?: Prominent Contemporary Chinese Artists” – Stux Gallery, New York City, NY
“Time Lag” – Linda Gallery – Beijing, Beijing
2010 “For the future, Z-art center”, Shanghai
“Reshaping History”, Beijing
“Research RepresenTational painting”, Times art museum, Beijing
“China welcomes you” – Kulturspeicher Oldenburg, Oldenburg
2011 “Reflected on Air”, Frey Norris Contemporary & Modern, San Francisco, CA
“Realms of Fantasy – Olyvia Fine Art”, London, England
“Beauty & Revolution – Summer Group Show – Olyvia Fine Art, London”, England
“East/west: Visually Speaking – Frost Art Museum”, Miami, FL
■ Art Fair
1996 Art Miami ’96, Miami Beach Convention Center Miami Beach, USA
2002 Chicago International Art Exposition, Chicago, USA
2003 Chicago International Art Exposition, Chicago, USA
2005 Art Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
2006 Singapore International Art Fair, Singapore
Bologna International Art Fair, Bologna, Italy
ARCO, Madrid, Spain
Taipei International Art Fair, Taipei
Grosvenor’s House Fine Art and Antiques Fair, London, England
Art London, London, England
FIAC, Paris, France