Zhang Dali

Zhang Dali (born in 1963 in Harbin, China) is one of the most influential and innovative Chinese artists of his generation, recognized for his unique approach to social critique and urban transformation in contemporary China. Trained as a painter, Zhang moved to Beijing in the 1990s, where he became one of China’s first graffiti artists, leaving his mark with his distinctive human profiles, resembling silhouettes, that appeared on city walls. These hollow figures, created using graffiti techniques, symbolized the precariousness and anonymity of life in a rapidly changing China.

His most renowned project, Demolition, featured graffiti depicting human silhouettes in spaces marked for demolition, a statement against the loss of historical and cultural memory caused by urban expansion. In the following years, Zhang developed the AK-47 series, using the assault rifle’s iconography as a symbol of power and control, exploring tensions between violence, censorship, and individual freedom.

Zhang Dali has exhibited at prestigious international institutions, including MoMA PS1 in New York, the Saatchi Gallery in London, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, solidifying his role as a leading figure in the global art scene. His works are now part of prominent public and private collections worldwide, establishing him as a prominent representative of contemporary Chinese art, capable of provoking profound reflections on the future of Chinese society and the significance of cultural memory.