In the 15 years from 2007 to the present, Zhang Kai has used his mellow and delicate painting language to give life to countless cats in his pen. With the anthropomorphic cat as the protagonist, Zhang Kai uses various religious, mysterious, and poetic elements to create unforgettable works full of classical and tranquil atmosphere.
Zhang Kai began to use cats as the protagonist of his works from the beginning of his creation. In his early works, he tended to use the composition and techniques of European classical masters in a meticulous and exquisite manner, replacing the characters with cats. With the combing and analysis of art history, as well as the consolidation of personal style and painting language, it is difficult to find traces of direct appropriation in Zhang Kai's recent works. From his works, you can see more of a rich understanding of Chinese and Western art history, as well as simple and profound thinking about time, spirit, and the times.
The cat is chosen as the protagonist of the work because of the artist's unspeakable love for cats. Perhaps it is because the atmosphere of the cat itself fits perfectly with the atmosphere in Zhang Kai's paintings, both of them are equally quiet, mysterious and elegant.
In Zhang Kai's paintings, the cat's eyes are clear and translucent, and reflective windows and empty rooms can often be seen on the eyeballs. The various subtle emotions revealed from the window of the soul are not only like the artist's insight and examination of the self, but also like the feeling and peaceful response to the current society.
New Solo Exhibition Preview
Zhang Kai's latest solo exhibition "The Tender Ruins" will open on September 25 at the Hwas Gallery in the West Wing Building of the Long Museum, Shanghai. It will display 31 works by the artist from 2007 to present to the audience. Show the appearance of the artist's works in different periods.
Zhang Kai: The Tender Ruins
Duration: September 25-October 25, 2021
Opening: 16:00, September 25, 2021
Venue: Hwas Gallery（West wing, long museum No.3398, long teng av, xuhui dst, shanghai）
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10:00-18:00
Exhibition co-organizer: Triumph Gallery
His recent works show his command over technique and compositional skills. Zhang Kai adds various visual elements to his painting without disrupting the consistency of the classical atmosphere and showcases his breakthrough in the medium to the audience. In terms of his contents, though unlike most artists who progress by introducing new themes in their practices, we can still discern a natural maturation in Zhang's art. The image of cats being his center subject has never changed. However, the dynamism and pictorial arrangement in his paintings enable them to each tell a different story, mining the symbolism of cats on a much deeper level.
Confronting such a complicated and fast-paced world, the events and subjects in Zhang Kai's works exert a warmth, a tendering, utopian warmth, allowing every audience to grasp and immerse in the power of humanity and art. As a result, the audience eventually finds comfort when viewing his work.
About the artist
1985 Born in Shanxi Province, China
2007 Graduated from School of Arts Shanxi Normal University
Currently working and living in Beijing, China
The Tender Ruins - Zhang Kai Solo Exhibition, Hwas Gallery, Shanghai, China
Present - Zhang Kai Solo Exhibition, Triumph Gallery, Beijing, China
Leave My World Here - Zhang Kai Art Exhibition, Triumph Art Space, Beijing, China
Please Take Me to The Sky - Zhang Kai Solo Exhibition, My Humblehouse Art Center, Taipei, China
Broken Dream - Zhang Kai Solo Exhibition, Triumph Alternative Space, Beijing, China
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