Monograph on Zhao Gang now available

4 July 2024

Hatje Cantz has published a monograph on the Chinese artist Zhao Gang. The hardback publication edited by critic and curator Heniz-Norbert Jocks provides an overview of Zhao’s six central exhibitions from recent years, and introduces the life and work of this rebellious, sensitive, and mischievous painter.

Zhao Gang is a wanderer between two worlds. At the age of just 18, he was the youngest member of legendary avant-garde artist group The Stars, which also included Ai Weiwei. Their 1979 group exhibition, and the protests that followed, are often cast as the birth of contemporary Chinese art. Shortly thereafter Gang left for Europe and the United States. Having acquired American citizenship, he is regarded as one of the few artists of his generation who truly understands the East and the West – yet who looks at both worlds with a certain detachment. In his figurative paintings, however, he merges their different visual languages, increasingly turning toward examinations of his personal history and the historical roots of contemporary China.

Find further information and purchase via Hatje Cantz