Zhang Yunjia
Zhang was born in Hebei Province, China in 1989. In 2011, he was admitted to the Painting Department of Repin Academy of Fine Arts in Saint Petersburg, Russia. In 2013, he transferred to Repin Studio (formerly Malyutin Studio) to specialize in mural creation, mastering traditional techniques such as fresco and egg tempera painting, laying the foundation for the integration of his later works across media. After receiving his master's degree in 2017, he returned to China and is currently teaching at the Mural Department of Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.Zhang Yunjia's artistic practice revolves around mural thinking, integrating stage-like compositions and decorative colour language into easel painting. His works often explore contemporary social issues through metaphorical scenes. His first solo exhibition, Self-Construction, was held in 2024 at Huai Xua, the cultural and art space in Beijing, exhibited six oil paintings on wood board including Benben Stone Ballad. That same year, he participated in the group exhibition Painting is also a Language at Bonded Art Zone in Beijing. One of his works Why not be brave? presented a visual narrative of "otherworldly" reflections on urban interpersonal relationships.Zhang's teaching and creative processes interact in a two-way manner: the research on material stability emphasized in the Mural Department's curriculum directly influences explorations of plastic acrylic media in works like Seeds of Time; meanwhile, the narrative experiment results in easel painting have been transformed into teaching materials for the "Contemporary Applications of Fresco Painting" course led in 2021, systematically elucidating the technical evolution and contemporary transformations of this technique from the Renaissance to the present day. In 2020, participation in the "Heart · Painting Winter Olympics" charity event involved guiding students in creating Winter Olympics-themed artworks for a charity auction.In 2025, Alisan Fine Arts' booth at Shanghai West Bund Art & Design marks the gallery’s first collaboration with the artist and Zhang’s debut at the art fair.
