Zhang Huan: Zhang is considered one of the most influential artists who belonged to the group 'Beijing East Village," a kind of art colony located in the rural outskirts of Beijing. There artists would perform works exploring issues surrounding consumerism, sexuality, gender and personal suffering in or around their homes.
Zhang Huan's often traumatic performances are memory retrievals, recollections of suffering. For example, a 1994 performance in a public toilet in a rundown area of Beijing referred to the abortions and female infanticides which occurred under the Chinese government's one child policy.
His performance art is bound to provoke By Cate McQuaid
Zhang Huan is the type of artist whom many outside the rarefied world of performance art label a crackpot. He has covered his naked body in honey and fish oil and sat in a public toilet, attracting flies.