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Photo: Velvyslanectví ČR v Pekingu
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Exhibition - Blooming life

On the 22nd of April 2021, the exhibition “Blooming Life” took place at the Czech Ambassador Residence. 

Zhang Dan was born in Beijing in 1967. Her father studied art in Czechoslovakia in the 1950s. Both of her parents were professors of art. She began to paint at a very early age. Zhang Dan was admitted to the Department of Folk arts at CAFA in 1988. Some of her works were selected by the academic journals ‘Art Research’ and ‘China Art Daily’.

Zhang Dan graduated from CAFA in 1992. In the same year she was invited by the Náprstko Museum of Prague to hold art exhibitions in the Czech Republic and has since settled in Prague. During this period she held and participated in nearly 30 art exhibitions in the Czech Republic and Germany, many of her works were sought after by collectors. Her illustrations have been published in the Czech Republic many times. Zhang Dan returned to China as a professional artist in 2013, holding and participating in several exhibitions. In 2014 she was interviewed by CCTV’s Journey of Discovery channel.

The exhibition in the Czech Embassy of Zhang Dan's artworks including porcelain, ink, and watercolor, which she made in recent years. Her works mainly reflect her personal growth and perception. In her ink paintings ‘Fish Series’ and ‘Insect Series’, she recalls the interest and innocence of childhood to explore the essence of life. Fish is pronounced ‘Yü’ in Chinese. Another meaning for ‘Yü’ is ‘surplus’, meaning ‘you have many’. In Chinese traditional culture the fish symbolizes richness, prosperity, auspiciousness, and vitality. Zhuangzi, a Taoist philosopher in ancient China, had a famous allusion: “You are not a fish, how do you know if fish are happy?” That is to say, happiness is just an inner emotional experience, one’s own world is subjective. The Czech Christmas Eve dinner has fried carp steak and fish soup, which also expresses the beautiful meaning of ‘fish’ in life. Zhang Dan's watercolors were painted during the isolation period of the pandemic in 2020. Friends and relatives painted in her watercolors express memories and freedom.

 

Galleries


Kvetoucí život / Blooming life / 绽放的生命