Now 33, Zhang Yibei (b.1992) was born in Daqing, a petroleum city in China’s northeastern Heilongjiang province. This may explain why “material and tools” have become core keywords in her practice—an interest that first emerged during her MFA studies in sculpture at the Royal College of Art in London. After relocating to Beijing to begin her full-time artistic career, Zhang continued her focus on overlooked elements of urban construction, collecting what might be dismissed as scrap industrial debris.
Her process often begins with a speculative proposition, using it to examine the triangular relationship between artist, material, and concept. Beyond the meanings and imagery imposed upon objects, Zhang is equally invested in the potential of the objects themselves and their emotional resonance with the human subject. Her installations often feature dual-material states: metals and glass that appear rigid and unyielding can shift into soft or fragile forms under certain conditions. Zhang is particularly adept at using these material transformations as metaphors, reconstructing industrial remnants to gesture toward the blurring boundaries between the animate and inanimate.
Based in: Beijing, China
Notable Resume Lines: Zhang received the 2024 UCCA Young Associates Choice Award and was selected as the 2022–2023 artist-in-residence at the Longlati Foundation, where she also presented a solo exhibition. Her work is held in major institutional collections, including the M+ Museum and the Tanoto Art Foundation.
See Her Work At: BANK (Shanghai, China)
Fun Fact: Zhang was a drummer in a rock band, and she has survived two full marathons.
Up Next: Zhang’s new work will be featured in upcoming group exhibitions at Tai Kwun Contemporary in Hong Kong and X Museum in Beijing later this year. She’s also developing a solo project slated for UCCA Beijing.
