ZHANG Xu-Zhan
Zhang Xu-Zhan, born into the popular century-old Hsin-Hsing Paper Sculpture Store in Xinzhuang, New Taipei City, in 1988, specialises in creating a riotous profusion of paper effigies, from luxurious mansions and giant paper dolls to mythical creatures and flowers. The artist is also proficient in employing diverse media such as drawing, stop-motion paper dolls and multi-channel video installation to create animations, videos, experimental films and extended images. His artworks encapsulate his wry observations on strange social phenomena and the cul-de-sac his family business faces.
Zhang earned his master’s degree in new media art from Taipei National University of the Arts in 2010. In 2020, he became the first Taiwanese artist awarded the Deutsche Bank Artists of the Year and presented his work at the Palais Populaire, Berlin, in 2021. His work Compound Eyes of Tropical won the best animated short film of the 59th Golden Horse Award in 2022.