Author Description

Xi Zhang is an exceptional painter and one of the most credible, pure emerging artists of his generation. This is the third compilation published by Plus Gallery to give audiences an in-depth view into his artwork and career development. Since his youth and upbringing in Kaifeng, China, Xi Zhang has always carried a deeply embedded family history within art in parallel with his innate talent. His previous works have been considered beautiful, highly detailed, outlandishly experimental, gutsy, at times wildly humorous and almost always enormously compelling. This new volume presents Zhang’s expansive series “Metallic Leaf Garden,” currently consisting of 50 paintings, as well as a related series "Golden Compass" and a propulsive stream of tests dubbed "Mr. Vincent Munch." For Zhang, everything he has created prior has been a search for the right tools, content, aesthetic, and technique in order to commence "Metallic Leaf Garden." This long-range view for such a young artist is a strong sign towards the depth of his practice, lending gravity to his growing collector base and solid support amongst a wide range of contemporary curators. The manner in which Zhang compartmentalizes his practice is a personal fascination, one that truly equates with his mantra that “To live is not for painting, but the act of painting is to live.”