Born in Kunming, he graduated from the Sichuan Art Institute, of Oil Painting. After Zhang attended the "China Contemporary Art Exhibition" in Beijing China Art Museum in 1989, he has continually participated in many international major exhibitions, including: "The 22nd Sao Paulo Biennale" in 1994 where he won 3rd place. The next year he was invited to participate in "The 46th Venice Biennale" as well as the "15 Years of Avant-Garde Art In China'' held by the Barcelona Contemporary Art Museum in Spain. In 1996 he attended the "China Contemporary Art Exhibition" in the Kunst Museum, Bonn. He collaborated with four other contemporary artists from China and had a group exhibition in Galerie de France. In 1997, he was proclaimed by the Coutts International Contemporary Art Foundation in England as the "Contemporary Art Best New Act". His works are also collected by many major museums, including the Guggenheim Museum in the United States, and the Fukuoka Art Museum in Japan.