Zhang Yunyao
When the Surface Thinks
Oct 30 – Dec 18, 2026
Opening: Thursday, Oct 29, 5pm – 8pm
Exhibition tour: Thursday, Oct 29, 5pm
White Cube Hong Kong presents When the Surface Thinks, a solo exhibition by Paris-based Chinese artist Zhang Yunyao (b. 1985, Shanghai). With this new body of work, the artist contends that meaning can reside within a surface – proposing painting as a sentient field that registers, reflects and thinks.
The exhibition presents large-scale, illusionistic abstractions from Zhang’s ‘Connector’ series (2022–present), tight close-ups of carved heads from the ‘Time’ series (2021–present), and studies of classical statuary. These works subvert the traditions of Soviet Realism and the French Beaux-Arts that informed Zhang’s early academic training.
Central to the artist’s practice is his use of graphite on felt, a material that is both light-absorbent and resistant to revision. Unlike oil on canvas, which allows for overpainting and correction, graphite becomes embedded into the textured plane. Through a sustained and highly physical process, Zhang builds tonal depth across the textile’s flatness, creating images that appear at once sculptural and weightless.
Articles
Salvatore Emblema 薩爾瓦托雷・恩布勒馬 / Feature / August 22, 2025
Lynne Drexler 琳恩‧德雷克斯勒 / Review / May 12, 2025
Jessica Rankin 傑西卡‧蘭金 / Feature / November 4, 2024
Lee Jin Woo 李鎮雨 / Review / August 22, 2024
Julie Curtiss 朱莉·柯蒂斯 / Feature / October 30, 2023
Michael Ho, Chris Huen Sin Kan, Timothy Lai, Su Yu-Xin / Review / September 13, 2023
Haim Steinbach / Review / October 4, 2022
Cerith Wyn Evans 凱裡斯·懷恩·埃文斯 / Feature / January 20, 2022
Bruce Nauman 布魯斯·瑙曼 / Feature / May 2, 2021
Virginia Overton 弗吉尼亞·奧弗頓 / Feature / October 9, 2020
Park Seo-Bo / Review / December 27, 2018
Sarah Morris / Feature / June 15, 2018
Rachel Kneebone / Feature / August 7, 2017
Danh Vō / Review / February 1, 2017
50 Connaught Road, Central
(852) 2592 2000
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Tu-Sa 11am to 7pm
The first of White Cube’s galleries to be located outside of the UK, White Cube Hong Kong is situated at 50 Connaught Road, in the heart of Hong Kong’s Central district. Since its inception in March 2012, the gallery has hosted a varied programme of exhibitions including Gilbert & George, Anselm Kiefer, Damien Hirst and Cerith Wyn Evans. The gallery provides an interior exhibition space of 550 m2 (6000 sq ft) which is set over two floors and has a ceiling height of over 4.5 metres. The building was designed by London based architects Maybank and Matthews.