Zhao Zhao 趙趙

Zhao Zhao was born in Xinjiang, China, in 1982. He graduated from the Xinjiang Institute of the Arts in 2003 and later attended the Beijing Film Academy. Now he is regarded a significant figure among the young post-80s generation of contemporary Chinese artists. In his art, he engages with real subjects in multiple mediums and plays with art forms, emphasising an exploration of the relationship between the individual and the rest of society. 

In recent years, Zhao Zhao’s bold, radical artistic practice has attracted international attention. He has presented solo exhibitions and personal projects at Long Museum (Shanghai), Song Art Museum (Beijing), Nanchizi Museum (Beijing), Carl Kostyál (Stockholm, London), Alexander Ochs Galleries (Berlin, Beijing), Roberts & Tilton (Los Angeles), Chambers Fine Art (New York, Beijing), Mizuma Art Gallery (Tokyo, Singapore, Beijing), Lin & Lin Gallery (Taipei), Tang Contemporary Art and China Art Archives and Warehouse (Beijing). 

His works have shown in group exhibitions and collected by many institutions, including MoMA PS1 (New York), Tampa Museum of Art (Tampa), Pinchuk Art Centre (Kiev), Groninger Museum (Groningen), Museum of Asian Art (Berlin), Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea (Milan), MAXXI National Museum of 21st Century Art (Rome), Contemporary Art Space of Castellón (Castellón), White Rabbit Gallery (Sydney), M+ (Hong Kong), Ullens Centre for Contemporary Art (Beijing), Taikang Space (Beijing), Luxelakes · A4 Art Museum (Chengdu), Minsheng Art Museum (Shanghai), Minsheng Art Museum (Beijing), Museum of Contemporary Art (Shanghai), Ming Contemporary Art Museum (Shanghai), Tianjin Art Museum (Tianjin), Hubei Museum of Art (Wuhan), He Xiangning Art Museum (Shenzhen), etc. He has developed collaborations with Louis Vuitton, Land Rover, Nike, Vans, Harmay, Venvennet, etc. 

In 2019, Zhao Zhao won the Artist of the Year Award at the Thirteenth Award of Art China (AAC). In 2017, his piece Project Taklamakan was selected as the poster and catalogue cover image for the Yokohama Triennale. Same year, he was named one of China’s top 10 artists by CoBo and won the Young Artist of the Year Nomination Award at the Eleventh Award of Art China (AAC). In 2014, Modern Painters named Zhao Zhao one of the world’s top 25 artists to watch.