Lian Zhang

Lian Zhang (b. 1984, Hangzhou, China) lives and works in London and Hangzhou. Zhang received a Master degree in Painting from the China Academy of Art, Hangzhou in 2010, and a second Masters degree from the Royal College of Art, London, in 2013. Zhang’s works hint at multifaceted narratives that strain in many different directions at once, creating a current of tension that runs under an overlying sense of serenity. The past and the future are suspended, interweaving allusions to precise historical periods with timeless imagery. Zhang investigates the connections between interior and exterior worlds, constructing scenes both from personal memories and from imaginary landscapes. Through soft brushstrokes and a vivid colour palette, Zhang creates delicate scenes of transformation. Filled with the energy of stasis and motion, her paintings embody a fluidity between objects and figures. Zhang’s paintings are firmly sited within a rich art historical tradition, drawing particularly on the Surrealist and Symbolist movements. They are also inspired by the teachings of Chinese philosophy and Taoism. Zhang’s latest works explore Asian female identity and the experience of living abroad as an immigrant, challenging preconceptions and weaving together complex painterly narratives about what it means to live across multiple cultures. In particular, her recent paintings highlight and undermine some of the ways in which Asian women are stereotyped and objectified. 

 

“Oil painting is my primary medium. In my work, I combine my understanding of history, mythology, and poetry with personal experience, connecting the inner self and the external world to create a series of imaginative scenes that use the past as a mirror for the present. ” Quote from a recent interview by Bagri Foundation。

 

Recent solo and duo exhibitions include: Across the River in A Land Far Away, Lychee One, London, 2024; The Rabbit Who Hunts Tigers, Sebastien Bertrand, Geneva, 2023; Fast Dreams, Slow Days, Nicodim Gallery, LA, 2022; Weathering with you, Lychee One, London 2022; Constellation and Folds, Lychee One, London, 2020.  

 

Selected recent group exhibitions: Myths, Dreams and New Realities, Saatchi gallery, London, 2025; Spillâge, Curated by HAZE at Standpoint Gallery, London, 2025; The Nature of Things, Castor Gallery, London, 2024; Two Sides of One Coin, Taikang Art Museum, Beijing, 2024; 10 Years Anniversary, Lychee One, London, 2024; Artissima Art Fair, Sebastien Bertrand, Turin, 2023; Elsewheres, UTA Artist Space, LA, 2023; The Dual-mechanism of the New Generation of Asian artists, Hive Art Centre, Beijing, 2021; Fortune Exhibition of Li’s Family House, Whitespacebeijing, Beijing, 2021; Antisocial Isolation, Delphian Gallery + Saatchi gallery, London, 2020.