Yang Zhenzhong (杨振中)

Born in Xiaoshan in 1968, YANG Zhenzhong now lives and works in Shanghai. He graduated from the Oil Painting Department of the China Fine Arts Academy in Hangzhou in 1993 and began working with video and photography in 1995. YANG Zhenzhong's work has been showed at major biennales and triennials.



The desire to challenge normative notions of social behavior informs the practices of Yang Zhenzhong's work. He is preoccupied with China's intrinsic disharmony and extreme discrepancies and often touches upon taboos such as death and out-dated social norms. His approach is metaphorical rather than narrative. His videos often start from witty ideas, employing image repetition and rhythmic coordination of sound, language and image. Yang Zhenzhong became famous in 2000 with his video (I Know) I Will Die that features short sequences in which a series of different people speak the phrase "I will die" to the camera. It is a disconcerting, soberly presented film that confronts viewers with existential questions. Yang Zhenzhong recognizes that individual participation is the starting point for a transformation of perception.