Zhang Peili, born in Hangzhou in November 1957, graduated from the Oil Painting Department of Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (now China Academy of Art) in 1984. He currently lives and works in Hangzhou. From 1985 to 1986, Zhang Peili organized and participated in the “85 New Space” exhibition and the artist group “Pond Society.” In 2003, Zhang Peili established the New Media Department at the China Academy of Art, initiating the earliest new media art education in Chinese art academies. To date, he has been engaged in art education for over thirty years.

Zhang Peili emphasizes the reflection and intervention of real life in the art, as well as the critical and self-critical nature of artistic language. His creations primarily utilize medium such as videos, texts, sound installations, mechanical installations, and photography. Major works include the “X?” series, “30 x 30,” ” Water: Standard Version from the Cihai Dictionary,” “Document on Hygiene No. 3,” ” Undefined Pleasure,” “Testament,” “Gust of Wind,” and “Collision of Harmonies.” Notably, “30 x 30” (1988) is considered the earliest video art piece in China.

He has participated in numerous significant international exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale, Lyon Biennale, Sydney Biennale, Gwangju Biennale, and Busan Biennale. He has also held solo exhibitions at institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the S.M.A.K. in Ghent, Belgium. His works are part of collections at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Tate Modern in London, Guggenheim Museum in New York, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Centre Pompidou in France, Art Institute of Chicago, Asia Society in New York, National Gallery Singapore, Queensland Art Gallery in Australia, M+ in Hong Kong, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, French National Fund for Contemporary Art, Taikang Space, Daimler Art Collection in Germany, DSL Collection in France, K11 Art Foundation in Hong Kong, and TANK Shanghai.

In 2010, Zhang Peili received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chinese Contemporary Art Awards (CCAA). In 2015, he was honored with the Artist of the Year Award from Art China (AAC).