Zhang Gong was born in Beijing in 1959. He was a professor in the Department of Information Art and Design at the Academy of Fine Arts, Tsinghua University, and lives and works in Beijing. After graduating from the Central Academy of Arts and Design in 1993, he started to develop his distinctive painting style rooted in surrealism and pop culture. Drawing inspiration from a panoply of American and Japanese cartoons and the environments of urban spaces, Zhang works with mediums such as animation and photography.

Zhang has exhibited worldwide, his recent solo exhibition include Advent, WHITE SPACE (Caochangdi), Beijing, China (2022); Revelations, KWM Art Center, Beijing, China (2020); Beyond Description, Beyond Boundary – Paintings of Zhang Gong, Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery, Hong Kong, China (2019). His works have been shown in Forms and Effects: Ukiyo-e to Anime, Kresge Foundation Gallery, Ramapo College, Mahwah, NJ (2017); Hypallage – The Post-Modern Mode of Chinese Contemporary Art, The OCT Contemporary Art Center, Shenzhen, China (2008), FICTION LOVE, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore; Bund 18 Creative Center, Shanghai, China; MOCA Shanghai, Shanghai, China (2006). His animation films have been featured at international festivals such as Cinémathèque Québécoise, Montreal, Canada; Brussels Animation Films Festival, Brussels, Belgium; London International Animation Festival, London, UK; and Without Borders Film Festival, Rome, Italy. He has been awarded for his animated short film Trees (2003) at: 3rd Animation Academy Awards, Animation School of Beijing Film Academy, Beijing, China (2003); 10th Asian Film and Culture Festival, Lyon, France (2004) and 3rd CTVA Academy Awards, China (2004).

SELECTED WORKS