(b. 1965)
Born in China in 1965, Zhang Huan is a Chinese artist based in Shanghai. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Henan University in Kaifeng and his Master or Arts from the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. He began as a painter and transitioned to performance arts later before coming back to painting. The first artistic engagement he had was at Beijing East Village, a small artistic community in China’s capital. His group of friends from art school pioneered this particular brand of performances involving the human body in one way or another, usually naked, occasionally involving masochistic actions and using it in sculptures as well. From 1988 to present, Zhang has had solo exhibitions in China, Germany, the United States different parts of France and Europe, United Kingdom and Canada.