Zhang Enli is the first Chinese artist-in-residence to take part in our residency programme in collaboration with K11 Art Foundation. Throughout August and September, he will transform the RA’s Life Room with a series of new paintings and a site-specific installation, responding to the space’s unique history.

From familiar everyday objects in his immediate surroundings, to municipal structures in the streets of Shanghai, Zhang Enli’s works offer new viewpoints on unusual details. His installations often involve fluid, painterly walls, floors and ceilings, which both fully immerse the viewer while emphasising a sense of emptiness.

Normally hidden from public view, the Life Room was designed in the 1860s, with a semi-circular seating arrangement based on an ancient design, and directional lights used to aid life drawing. The room is still a working space used for talks, lectures and projects by current artists studying at the RA Schools.

Zhang Enli was born in Jilin province in 1965. He graduated from Wuxi Technical University, Arts and Design Institute in 1989 and currently living in Shanghai. The studio sessions will culminate in the final weekend, where visitors can experience the finished work.

About the partnership
This partnership with K11 Art Foundation (KAF) allows an exchange of artistic practice between Chinese contemporary artists and RA Schools graduates, who have the chance to take up residency in China at one of the KAF artist villages. It highlights the diversity and dynamism of Chinese contemporary art, giving visiting artists an opportunity to engage with new, international audiences.