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Zhang Ji

Zhang Ji (b.1993, Beijing) graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art and School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a BFA and an MFA degree. In Zhang Ji’s work, there are often shifting compositions, bizarre shapes of light areas, and lines, which usually partition and compress the human body (deformed body parts, exposed organs, peculiar exposure, worship of genitalia, and totem-like torsos). The artist prefers curved lines, diagonal or vertical, over horizontal framing. The division by brushstrokes, traces, and lines presents Zhang Ji’s version of bodies or his whole world of painting as restless and unstable. Additionally, Zhang Ji has his metaphysical understanding of the body, and most viewers find it hard to expound on his highly personal style. We can only summarize that the body is a public medium of sociality, and the package of modern civilization has shadowed the social properties of its structure. Thanks to the magic of painting, we can unravel everything and make public every unspeakable secret about the body.