On March 3 in Berlin’s PalaisPopulaire, Deutsche Bank hosted a closing reception of “Artists of the Year” 2021. Two of three artists-Taiwanese artist Zhang Xu Zhan and German artist Conny Maier-attended. Three Taiwanese Ministry of Culture Officials and the head of Taiwanverein Berlin Szu-Yu Chen were invited. 60 people participated in the event.
Zhang Xu Zhan was born in Taiwan in a family that has created traditional paper figures for centuries. Because of the family business, he grew up learning the skill of paper tying. After entering university, he learned about the beauty and culture of the art of paper tying and, combining this with techniques for making animations, he was determined to devote himself to bringing Taiwan's local customs into the field of art with new technology.
The award “Artist of the Year” is given at the recommendation of the Deutsche Bank Global Art Advisory Council. With the award, the artist received a solo exhibition at PalaisPopulaire in Berlin and a catalog accompanying the exhibition. The exhibition of the winner of the Deutsche Bank “Artists of the Year” 2021 was from September 15 to February of this year. Impacted by the epidemic, Zhang Xu Zhan wasn’t able to attend the opening ceremony.
The walls of the exhibition are full of paper ties, which were completed by five people in 10 days. Exhibition set-up was completed through video call. There was a monitor playing the animation: Animal Story Series: A Flowing Piece of Shard. The main animals in the animation could be seen in the exhibition site, with delicate workmanship, muscular lines, bright colors and exotic styles; the animals are anthropomorphized and vivid. The animation videos shown at the exhibition were very attractive, using split screen, lighting, story and music, and the filming was very sophisticated.
One more event featuring Zhang Xu Zhan will be held on March 7 at Taipei Vertretung Berlin. The event will be at 7 p.m. Please make sure you register before joining the event at https://fb.me/e/4ke2dXjBJ
