Zhang was born in Kunming, in southern China’s Yunnan Province, in 1958 and grew up during the Cultural Revolution under Mao Zedong.
He is a preeminent member of the Chinese avant-garde, whose Surrealist-influenced work focuses on the after effects of China’s Cultural Revolution, and the meaning of family, history, and memory in China today. Zhang is best known for his Bloodlines series, inspired by his discovery of old family photographs, and reached international stature with the debut of his Bloodlines-Big Family series at the 1995 Venice Biennale. He has continued to explore issues of family, history, individualism, and Chinese life after the Cultural Revolution in his work, focusing most recently on themes of memory and interior spaces.
Zhang has held solo exhibitions around the world, and currently lives and works in Beijing.