K11 Art Foundation

K11 Art Foundation and The Royal Academy of Arts are delighted to welcome Zhang Enli, the first Chinese artist participating in the long-term artist-in-residence programme co-presented by the two institutions, to London. During his one-month residency, Zhang will transform the Academy’s Life Room, Burlington House, where internationally renowned artists and professors have taught and lectured over the past 150 years, into a working studio – or, as he describes it, ‘a miniature studio’. By creating a site-specific installation and a series of new paintings, Zhang will respond to the history of the space and beyond. His artistic undertaking in the Life Room will signify an expansion of his recent practice, demonstrating his sensitivity to the physicality of painting as a medium and the transience of space.

Visitors to the RA will be welcomed to attend Zhang’s open studio sessions (every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 12 to 4pm) to observe the artist at work and witness the evolution of the Life Room throughout his weeks in residence. The studio sessions will culminate in an open weekend where the public are free to wander around the finished work.

As part of the residency, and in celebration of the 250th anniversary of RA, Zhang will produce a limited-edition print, and there will be books and artist printed scarves by the artist available for purchase at the RA Shop.

The partnership between K11 Art Foundation and The Royal Academy of Arts facilitates an exchange of artistic practice with Chinese artists invited to work in London to highlight the diversity and dynamism of Chinese contemporary art and for RA Schools graduates to take up residence in Greater China, whereby all these artists have an opportunity to engage with new and international audiences.

Open Studio:
24.08.2018–16.09.2018, Friday to Sunday, 12–4pm (London time)

Website of Royal Academy of Arts:
https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/zhang-enli-artist-in-residence