Yixiao Zhang began his artistic journey with classical painting and sculpture during childhood. After relocating to the United States to pursue his MFA, Zhang’s current artistic practice primarily revolves around painting and involves sculpture and installation. Through magical realism paintings rooted in the influences of traditional Oriental culture, rapid societal changes, and his international experiences, Zhang explores the traces that social changes leave on different individuals.

His work, inspired by dreams, memories, and family photographs, blends classical techniques with contemporary forms to depict human and animal portraits, special objects of life, and distant landscapes from memory. The paintings depart from a specific point of view, offering instead a unique lens through which to engage with the world. Behind documentary images of his works lies a deeper dialogue with complex and weighty issues, often addressing themes of identity, memory, and societal shifts.