Zhang Shengquan
{{Short description|Chinese artist (1955–2000)}}
{{Infobox artist
| name = Zhang Shengquan
| alias = Dazhang(大张), Datong Dazhang(大同大张)
| native_name = 张盛泉
| birth_place = Hebei, China
| birth_date = 1955
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2000|1955}}
| death_place = Datong
| nationality = Chinese
| known_for = Performance art
}}
Zhang Shengquan ({{zh|t=张盛泉|s=张盛泉}}), also known as Datong Da Zhang({{zh|t=大同大张|s=大同大张}}), was a prominent figure in Chinese contemporary art, known for his performance art on topics of isolation and struggle. He was one of the main members in art group W·R group.{{cite web |title=Zhang Shengquan |url=https://www.chinesenewart.com/chinese-artists13/zhangshengquan.htm |website=Chinesenewart |access-date=28 January 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Fang |first1=Liu |title=大同大张：我一生都在寻找敌人 |url=https://culture.caixin.com/2016-01-14/100899515.html |access-date=28 January 2024 |agency=Caixin |date=2016}}
Early life and art career
Zhang was born in 1955 in Hebei Province. In 1970, he enlisted in the military in Yunnan. After his four years' military service, Zhang went back to Datong and began working in a bank, meanwhile he started to explore various artistic disciplines, including vocal music and painting, and delved into art history and philosophy. In the late 1980s, he formed art group W·R group in Datong, which was known for its outdoor exhibitions.{{cite news |last1=Zhang |first1=Zhongjiang |title=WR小组："八五新潮"之外的一种存在 |url=https://www.chinanews.com.cn/cul/news/2009/02-13/1561950.shtml |access-date=28 January 2024 |agency=Chinanews |date=2009-02-13}} The group's work often touched on themes of life and struggle, reflecting Zhang's intense and sometimes controversial approach to art.
In 1989, Zhang and his group gained some attention for their unsanctioned participation in the First Modern Art Exhibition in China.{{cite news |last1=Zhu |first1=Jieshu |title=他在千禧年之际结束了自己的生命，这个展览讲述他的故事 |url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1415392 |access-date=28 January 2024 |agency=The Paper ∙ Art Review}} Despite their efforts, the group struggled to gain recognition and acceptance within the contemporary art circles in Beijing.{{cite web |title=张盛泉（大同大张） |url=http://www.artlinkart.com/cn/artist/txt_ab/01dawCtl |website=Art Link Art |access-date=28 January 2024}}
Throughout the 1990s, Zhang continued his exploration in various art forms, including painting, installation art, performance art, and poetry. He began a practice he termed "Mail Art," where he sent sketches and ideas to artists and critics across the country, seeking engagement and dialogue.
In 2000, at the age of 45, Zhang ended his life in what he described as his final act of performance art. Influenced by a fortune-teller's prediction, this action at this time point had been recorded in Zhang's early art works. After his death, his poems, installation proposals, and notes were meticulously compiled and published by Art critic Wen Pulin.{{cite book |last1=Shanghai Power Station of Art / Wen Pulin Chinese Avant-Garde Art Archives |title=Datong Dazhang (大同大张) |date=2015 |publisher=China Academy of Art Press (中国美术学院出版社) |isbn=9787550310209 |url=https://book.douban.com/subject/26764800/}}
Selected exhibitions
- 1986 – Datong, China - Datong Museum - My world - Oil Painting Exhibition (Group) {{cite news |last1=Shen |first1=Fangzhou |title=缅怀这个艺术殉道者 呼唤久违的艺术真理 |url=https://hpb.shhuangpu.gov.cn/147/147004/20160105/01ccec5f-e8a6-411e-9053-fc5d7323022e.html |access-date=28 January 2024 |work=Huangpu News |date=2016-01-05}}
- 1993 – Beijing, China – Ammonal Gallery, W·R Group '93 Exhibition {{cite web |title=W·R Group '93 Exhibition, W·R 小組 '93 分享展 |url=https://aaa.org.hk/en/collections/event-database/wr-group-93-exhibition-wr-93 |website=ASIA ART ARCHIVE |access-date=28 January 2024}}
- 2009 – Beijing, China – The Wall Museum, The Journey Through Death --WR Group Retrospective Exhibition {{cite news |title=《穿越死亡》——WR小组回顾展 |url=http://art.china.cn/zixun/2009-01/04/content_2668078.htm |access-date=28 January 2024 |agency=Art China}}{{cite news |last1=Liu |first1=Jun |title="穿越死亡"WR小组回顾展 |url=https://www.artforum.com.cn/picks/1475 |access-date=28 January 2024 |agency=Art Forum}}
- 2015 – Shanghai, China – Power Station of Art, Datong Dazhang{{cite news |last1=Szehin Ho |first1=Daniel |title=Datong Dazhang: The Way Out for Small-Town Art Youth |url=https://www.randian-online.com/np_review/datong-dazhang-the-way-out-for-small-town-art-youth-and-for-decentralization/ |access-date=28 January 2024 |agency=RanDian}}
References
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Category:20th-century Chinese artists