Zhu Jinshi (B. 1954)

Biography
Zhu Jinshi, born in 1954, is a pioneer of Chinese abstract art and installation art. He began to create abstract paintings in the early 1980s and moved to Berlin in 1986. Since then, he has been experimenting with performance, installation, and conceptual art. In 1994, Zhu returned to China, dividing his time between Berlin and Beijing until 2010. At present, he lives and works in Beijing.
Looking back at Zhu Jinshi’s art practice over the past forty years, abstract painting and conceptual installation are two practices that parallel each other while sometimes being confrontational. Zhu started his career with abstract painting, but while his installation practice stands alone from his painting practice, it has also inspired new forms of painting. Only when the two are viewed together can the striking aesthetic value of Zhu’s works be touched.

Zhu Jinshi’s paintings were first influenced by modernism. Three of his works were exhibited in China’s first avant-garde exhibition, the Stars Group Exhibition, in 1979. As one of the first Chinese artists to create abstract art, Zhu initially experimented with random brushstrokes and limited colour to create abstract paintings. He gradually developed his unique “thick painting” style that he still uses today, which is usually applied with heavy colour and thick paint.
In contrast to the Western mainstream post-1990s compositionist, neo-geometric abstract painting, he compared the differences between art techniques and philosophies at a macro level during his roundtrips between Beijing and Berlin over the past twenty years. Although the strong styles of Gerhard Richter, Julian Schnabel, Per Kirkeby, and Kazuo Shiraga in the 1980s impressed him, when he returned to painting after 2000, Zhu identified more with the direction of newer artists such as Albert Oehlen and Cecily Brown, focusing on his own experience and disregarding the idea of traditional abstraction.

Zhu’s solo exhibitions include The Rainbow Series (2022), Yuan Art Museum, Beijing, China; Next Week to Milan (2022), Pearl Lam Galleries, Shanghai, China; Wood · Character (2020), Fusion Art Center, Beijing, China; Ganjiakou 303 (2018), Pearl Lam Galleries, Shanghai, China; Performance in Paint: Zhu Jinshi (2015), Inside-Out Art Museum, Beijing, China; and Zhu Jinshi: Boat, a Yi Pai installation (2015), organised by Pearl Lam Galleries at Exchange Square, Hong Kong, China.
Group shows include Uncommon Language (2020–21), Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada; Trilogy of Contemporary Art in China: The Scar (2020), Busan Museum of Art, Busan, South Korea; Inaugural exhibition (2019), Rubell Museum, Miami, USA; The Allure of Matter: Material Art from China (2019–20), LACMA, Los Angeles, USA; A Fairy Tale of Red Times: Works from the White Rabbit Collection (2019), National Museum of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia; 28 Chinese (2015), San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, USA and Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, USA; and Perfection by Chance—A Yi Pai Series Exhibition (2015), Pearl Lam Galleries, Hong Kong, China.
Exhibitions
News & Press
01 Mar 2018
BARRON’S | The Armory Show Aims to Spark ‘Critical Dialogue’
Feb 28, 2018 | by Abby Schultz Zhu Jinshi, Mistaken Dream of the Lotus Pond, 2014, oil on canvas, triptych, presented by...19 Mar 2016
ArtAsiaPacific | CONTEMPORARY ASIAN ART AT TEFAF 2016
CONTEMPORARY ASIAN ART AT TEFAF 2016 BY PAUL LASTER New to TEFAF 2016 is Pearl Lam Galleries, which has locations in Hon...05 Nov 2015
‘Performance in Paint: Zhu Jinshi’ Solo exhibition at Inside-Out Art Museum, Beijing, 14 November 2015–31 January, 2016
Beijing—Pearl Lam Galleries is pleased to announce the opening of Performance in Paint: Zhu Jinshi at Inside-Out Art Mus...25 Mar 2015
Wallpaper* | Light Shows and Pink Feathers: How Art Basel 2015 Took Over Hong Kong
Wallpaper has published a review on Zhu Jinshi: Boat at Exchange Square and Ren Ri: Yuansu Projects at Hong Kong SOHO Pe...25 Mar 2015
South China Morning Post | Hong Kong Full of Creativity as Galleries Channel Art Basel Buzz
South China Morning Post has published a review on Zhu Jinshi: Boat at Exchanged Square and Perfection by Chance –...21 Mar 2015
South China Morning Post | Focus on Traditional and Contemporary Chinese Art
South China Morning Post focused on traditional and contemporary Chinese art that can be seen around the city. There is ...29 Nov 2014
Pearl Lam Galleries Artists Zhu Jinshi And Qin Yufen | “Art Space Germany” in CAFA Art Museum
Art Space Germany An Exhibition by the ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen) Presented by the Goethe-Institut China and...29 Nov 2014
Rising Stars Of Chinese Contemporary Art: Interview of Pearl Lam
We are pleased to share the interview of Pearl Lam on Christie’s website. Asian Art | Interviews | November 13, 20...25 Nov 2014
Pearl Lam Galleries Artist Morgan Wong And Zhu Jinshi | Cosmos: Opening Exhibition Of Shanghai 21st Century Minsheng Art Museum
Exhibition dates: 22 November 2014 – 19 April 2015 Cosmos is the opening exhibition of Shanghai 21st Century Minsh...08 Jul 2014
Bazaar Men Lifestyle | About Pearl Lam gallery at Art Basel Hong Kong
Bazaar Men Lifestyle magazine features an article about Art Basel in Hong Kong, including the sales record of Zhu Jinshi...18 Apr 2014
Artsinfocus | Madhusree’s blog, “Zhu Jinshi Boat Miami Art Basel”
Hong Kong, Dec 2 Chinese contemporary artist Zhu Jinshi, who experiments with diverse mediums and materials to create av...18 Apr 2014
Interview Magazine | “How Zhu Jinshi’s Boat Travels”
12 December 2013 Interview Magazine, How Zhu Jinshi’s Boat Travels, 12 December 2013...04 Nov 2013
artBahrain | CHINESE MASTER ZHU JINSHI PRESENTS ‘BOAT’ – Centrepiece of 28 CHINESE at the Rubell Family Collection
Boat, a monumental 12-metre walk-in installation composed of bamboo, cotton and 8,000 sheets of Xuan (rice) paper create...02 Aug 2013
Art Emperor | Zhu Jinshi’s Solo Exhibition at Hong Kong Pearl Lam Galleries
May 22, 2013 Art Emperor-Zhu Jinshi...13 Mar 2013
Wallpaper* | Gallerist Pearl Lam docks Zhu Jinshi’s ‘Boat’ at Art13 London
An ambitious paper and bamboo installation by Chinese artist Zhu Jinshi was the centerpiece of Art13 London, a new inter...11 Mar 2013