Great Era I

Maker Zhang, Ding Chinese, b. 1980 Gansu

Date2007

MediumDigital print

Dimensionsimage: 28 7/8 in x 43 1/4 in; paper: 30 3/8 in x 44 3/4 in

Credit LineExtended loan of the FarEastFarWest collection

Object numberEL2011:28

About the ArtistWorking in installation, video, performance, and often complex combinations of multiple mediums, Zhang Ding creates surrealistic atmospheres meant to be experienced as alternate realities. His video, Great Era I, (2007), focuses on marginal members of society, specifically immigrants, by following a man as he explores Shanghai on a bike that is made to look like a horse. Zhang notes that the film is intended to address the ideals of rural immigrants in contrast to the reality of living in a large city. The film’s theatrical quality is inspired by the fantastical visual style of the Italian director, Federico Fellini. Like much of Zhang’s work, the film is intended to bring contemplation to day-to-day realities and our roles within them.

Zhang Ding completed his Master’s degree from the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, China (2004) and a Bachelor’s degree in oil painting from the North West Minority University in Lanzhou, China (2003). His work has been included in numerous exhibitions, both in China and abroad. Selected solo exhibitions include: ShanghART, Shanghai, China (2007, 2011); Krinzinger Projecte, Vienna, Austria (2008); ShangART, Beijing (2009, 2014). Selected group exhibitions include: Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo, Norway (2007); National Art Museum, Luxembourg (2007); Kunsthalle Bern, Switzerland (2009); Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai, China (2009, 2011); Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, TX, USA (2012); Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China (2013); and the Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai, India (2014).