Yi Zhu deconstructs and reconstructs the expression from generation to existence.

Mr. Yi Zhu An artist who came of age amid China’s profound social transformations, he maintains an ever-evolving mindset. Having witnessed the dramatic upheaval of China’s economic structure and an era of profound change, these experiences have shaped his worldview in indelible ways. In his early career, he specialized in printmaking and illustration, creating a wealth of works defined by distinctive visual compositions. He later forged a career in commercial design and led his own design firm, which delivered design solutions for China’s advertising market, curated point-of-sale brand experiences, and handled packaging design for international FMCG companies operating in the Chinese market. Under his stewardship, the firm was honored with the Best Creative Award and Best Supplier Award by the Chinese subsidiaries of renowned international brands. Confronted with the diverse social phenomena of the commercial sphere and the struggles and aspirations of human nature amid competition, Mr. Yi Zhu created a prolific body of printmaking and oil painting works, defining himself as a creator who deconstructs and reconstructs through painting. During the global pandemic of 2019, fueled by his profound insights into life, his observations of life’s vicissitudes in those unprecedented times, and a confluence of other influences, he embarked on a period of intense creative output in oil painting and printmaking. The fundamental logic of life is breath—social forces shape the posture of this breath, as well as life’s tension and contraction. This truth has ignited in him a profound desire to express his perspective on life: exhalation embodies tension, inhalation represents contraction. Life shall not be suppressed; its very essence is freedom.