Born in 1981 in Shaanxi, China, Zhang Yingnan graduated from Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts in 2005 and now lives and works in Beijing. Zhang Yingnan's paintings are both realistic and surreal: in terms of painting technique, his works are rich in the subtlety and elegance of classical paintings, with strict and simple compositions; however, in terms of content, they are often full of strange ideas, giving a dream-like texture to familiar and ordinary spaces, and constructing imaginative temporal and spatial relationships on the canvas. Under the artist's restrained and quiet use of colors, these "impossible" situations always carry a slight undertone of sadness and loneliness; for Zhang Yingnan, the loss that pervades his paintings comes from his perception of human relationships. The experience of growing up in a country compound as a child contrasts greatly with what he sees and feels when he studies and works in the city as an adult: the closeness of neighborly life becomes indifference and alienation when people get along with each other in the city. The empty and lonesome spaces in the paintings point to the lost past, and symbolize the emptiness of contemporary people's spiritual and psychological state, as well as an imaginary place for the artist to put his thoughts, emotions and memories.

‍