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NAN ZHANG

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:nanz_painting_
:xiaohongshu:张楠 Nanz :zartnan@gmail.com
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In my artistic practice, I create oil paintings centered on deformed human figures. Like Francis Bacon, I seek to capture a new form of reality in an era dominated by photographic imagery. Rather than reproducing appearances, I focus on representing the psychological dimension of the human figure—translating emotions, sensations, and inner states into tangible forms, making visible what is not.

I do not consider these figures imaginary. On the contrary, I see them as arising from lived experiences—comparable to literary characters who, though not real, profoundly express the human condition. By deliberately softening certain markers such as age, ethnic origin, and sometimes even gender, I aim to create open figures—capable of touching a wide audience and evoking a form of recognition that transcends identities.

I draw inspiration from everyday life, but also from literature, cinema, and music. Yet when I compose a scene, I always choose to keep the narrative open, preventing any single or fixed interpretation and inviting the viewer to become an active participant in the construction of meaning.

I place myself within a tradition that does not treat human presence as an object to be documented, but as a site of tension, transformation, and ambiguity. I seek to develop my own visual language to express the complexities of inner life.(2025)





EDUCATION

Master of Fine Art  
École Supérieure Nationale de Beaux-Arts et Design de Nancy, France
2025

 Bachelor of Fine Art  
École Supérieure Nationale de Beaux-Arts et Design de Limoges, France
2023
Bachelor of Fine Art
Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts
2022



 EXHIBITIONS

(upcoming) Luxembourg Art Week Luxembourg
2025

(upcoming) ARTDECO)))
Group exhibition
Galerie Poirel
Nancy, France
2025

One Thousand Self-Portraits
Solo exhibition
Blue Art Gallery
Hefei, China
2025 

Phantasmal Beings
Duo exhibition with Pei Ke
Zhiartspace
Shenzhen, China
2025
Prologue
Group exhibition
Ergastule
Nancy, France
2025

Bubble
Group exhibition
Galerie 9
Nancy, France 2023

 


PRESS

France 3 Lorraine
interview and report
2025